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QURRED 

„MAC  LEVY 


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Tobacco   Habit 
Easily  Conquered 


How  to  Do  It  Agreeably 
and  Without  Drugs 

With  Appendix:      "Tobacco,   the   Destroyer" 
M.^^ AC  LEVY 

Author    of    **Bac^    to    Life*    and    **The    Mac    Levy    System    of 

Dumbbell     Training."      Compiler    of    Special    Courses 

in  Physical  Culture  for  Numerous  Institutions. 

Expert  in  Physical  Efficiency, 


New  York 

ALBRO  SOCIETY,  Inc. 

181  Lexington  Avenue 


Ml  2. 


Copyrighted,   1916 

ALBRO    SOCIETY,   Inc. 

New  York  City 

All     rights     reserved,     including     that     of     translation     into     foreign 
languages,  including  the  Scandinavian. 


THREE  HUNDRED  YEARS  AGO 
"A  custom  loathsome  to  the  eye,  hateful  to  the  nose,  harmful  to 
the  brain,  dangerous  to  the  lungs,  and  in  the  black  stinking  fume 
thereof  nearest  resembling  the  horrible  Stygian  smoke  of  the  pit  that 
is  bottomless." — James  I,  King  of  Great  Britain,  A.  D.  l6l6,  in  his 
"Counterblaste"  on  tobacco. 


FOREWORD 

This  book  is  humble  in  makeup,  but  big — 
mighty  big — with  purpose.  It  teaches  self-mastery 
and  health  regeneration  by  that  much  misunder- 
stood, greatly  maligned  but  supremely  important 
personage — YOURSELF.  It  tells  you  in  plain, 
blunt,  homely  language  how  the  addiction  to 
tobacco  in  any  form  can  be  conquered  in  one- 
self by  oneself.  It  tells  how  to  do  this  without 
the  use  of  drugs  or  loss  of  time.  It  shows  that 
this  end  can  be  easily  accomplished  within  a  brief 
period. 

A  man  who  has  had  a  great  amount  of  first- 
hand contact  with  the  woes  of  excessive  tobacco 
users,  and  who  not  only  comprehends  the  subject 
but  is  keenly  sympathetic  with  every  person  who 
needs  to  escape  from  the  thraldom  of  nicotine,  has 
written  this  book.  He  dedicates  it  to  all  serious 
readers — to  those  who  gain  inspiration  from  its 
contents,  and  those  who  gain  content  through  its 
inspiration. 

There  are  twenty  Dictums.  All  can  be  easily 
understood  and  followed.  To  the  person  who  is 
in  earnest  this  book  should  prove  worth  its  weight 
in  gold  very  many  times,  for  it  means  higher  vigor. 


greater  efficiency,  keener  satisfaction  and  longer 
life.  More  than  that,  it  will  broaden  human 
interest  and  develop  character;  it  will  place  that 
priceless  treasure  HEALTH  on  a  rock-ribbed 
foundation  and  keep  it  there  so  long  as  the  reader 
minds  his  **p*s  and  q*s,**  and  heeds  the  Dictums, 
here  laid  down,  with  intelligent  interest. 

The  author's  thanks  have  already  been  tendered 
to  the  prominent  medical  men,  sociologists  and 
others  who  have  aided  him  in  perfecting  what  is 
here  offered  for  the  first  time,  inside  or  outside 
the  realm  of  therapeutic  literature — a  practical, 
efficacious  method  for  conquering  the  tobacco 
habit  by  natural  means. 

MAC  LEVY. 


CONTENTS 

Introductory:  page 

Foreword   • 3 

Why  I  Wrote  This  Book 7 

How  to  Proceed 13 

DiCTUMS: 

I.    Determination   *4 

II.    When  to  Quit  Tobacco 25 

III.  Sipping   and   Mastication 27 

IV.  Discretionary   Diet    32 

V.    Drinking   Between    Meals 35 

VI.    Breathing 40 

VII.    Perspiration    42 

VIII.     Exercise    45 

IX.     Elimination    51 

X.     Mental  Control 54 

XL    Regular  Hours  58 

XII.    The  Eyes  62 

XIII.  Personality    65 

XIV.  Tranquillity 67 

XV.     Discontinuance  of  Tobacco 71 

XVI.     Stimulant  and  Sedative 75 

XVII.     Substitutes  for  Tobacco 77 

XVIII.    Sleep    83 

XIX.     Confidence    88 

XX,    Recreation    90 


CONTENTS— Continued 

Miscellaneous:  pace 

The  Dictum  of  Dictums 93 

To  Women  Who  Are  Addicted 97 

A  Talk  to  the  Boy  Who  Smokes 102 

Looking  Backward 1 08 

Appendix   115 

Tobacco:    The  Destroyer 117 

Tobacco   Is   a  Poison 118 

The  Tobacco  Habit  Kills 120 

Tobacco   Causes   Insanity 1 22 

Tobacco  Causes  Cancer 124 

Tobacco  Causes  Deafness 125 

Tobacco  Causes   Blindness 126 

Tobacco  Poisons  the  Entire  System 129 

Tobacco  Is    Never   Harmless 131 

Tobacco  Causes  Heart  Failure,  Hardening  of  the  Arteries, 
Loss  of   Memory,   Epilepsy,   Paralysis,   Genital  Weakness 

and  Apoplexy 1 32 

Tobacco  Reduces  Efficiency  135 

Tobacco  Poisons  Non-users    137 

Tobacco  Does  Injury  at  All  Ages 142 

The  Enormous  Cost  of  Tobacco  Indulgence 143 

Are  There  Any  Tobacco  Benefits? 146 

Bibliography    149 

Special    Announcement    153 

Memoranda    1 54 


WHY  I  WROTE  THIS  BOOK 

This  book  just  **had  to  come.*'  My  conscience 
wouldn't  allow  me  to  put  off  writing  it  any  longer. 

For  many  years  I  have  trained  men.  My  expe- 
rience has  been  chiefly  with  the  intelligent  class; 
those  who  do — or  at  least  aspire  to  do — things 
worth  while.  1  have  studied  men,  their  good 
qualities  and  failings,  very  closely.  In  fact,  my 
acquaintanceship  with  a  man  frequently  brings  me 
into  more  intimate  touch  with  him  than  any  other 
person  can  be.  In  the  course  of  being  brought 
"back  to  life**  he  has  opportunities  to  think  and 
converse  about  conditions  which  he  cannot  bring 
himself  to  discuss  with  his  medical  adviser,  and 
which  he  feels  reluctant  to  admit  even  to  the 
closest  members  of  his  family. 

There  are  several  standard  works  which  deal 
with  the  injuriousness  of  tobacco.  Nearly  all 
school  physiology  books  warn  against  it;  medical 
men — although  in  many  cases  themselves  users — 
generally  concede  that  tobacco  is  a  poison  to  be 
seriously  feared. 

Thus,  and  in  numerous  other  ways,  I  have  come 
to    learn    of   the    havoc    that    can    be    created    by 

Page  seven 


tobacco  when  used  to  excess.  It  is  a  terrible  enemy 
to  mankind  under  such  circumstances. 

So  I  deal  here  with  the  man — or  woman — ^who 
has  found  by  experience  that  indulgence  in  tobacco 
is  seriously  harmful  to  health  and  efficiency.  That 
there  are  legions — ^yes,  vast  armies— —of  such  indi- 
viduals is  widely  recognized  by  those  who  have 
investigated  this  all-important  subject. 

The  insane  asylums  hold  many  victims  who  owe 
their  condition  primarily  to  tobacco.  The  annals 
of  the  medical  fraternity  throughout  the  world 
abound  in  cases  of  shattered  nerves,  heart  failure, 
stomach  disorders,  skin  diseases,  throat  ailments, 
blindness,  blood  poisoning,  nervous  prostration, 
neurasthenia,  tuberculosis,  cancer,  weakened  intel- 
lect, insanity  and  numerous  other  maladies  directly 
or  indirectly  traceable  to  the  use  of  tobacco. 

Details  aplenty  are  given  in  the  latter  part  of 
this  book. 

Tobacco  is  used  in  five  different  forms — ciga- 
rette, snuff,  chewing  tobacco,  pipe  and  cigar.  I 
rate  their  degree  of  harmfulness  to  the  individual 
in  the  order  named. 

Without  discussing  ultra-scientific  reasons  pro 
and  con  bearing  on  the  fact,  it  is  generally 
accepted  that  the  average  cigarette  user  consumes 
more  nicotine  than  any  other  tobacco  addict. 
One  who  inhales  the  smoke  is  a  deeper  addict  than 
one  who  doesn't,  but  both  are  *'in  the  trenches.** 

Snuff  and  chewing  tobacco  come  next,  because 
those  who  indulge  in  them  must  have  the  effect  of 
drugging  the  naturally  sensitive  nerves  of  the  nose. 

Page  eight 


mouth  or  throat.  As  evidence  of  this,  the  snufF 
user  has  an  impaired  sense  of  smell,  while  the 
tobacco  chewer  can  only  taste  something  that  is 
hot,  peppery  or  frozen. 

The  pipe  and  cigar  users  follow  next  in  order, 
and  are  about  on  a  parity. 

There  is  a  kind  of  devil's  balance  between  one 
form  of  tobacco  use  and  any  other. 

Considering  the  smoking  of  tobacco,  as  distin- 
guished from  chewing  and  snuffing,  I  have  already 
indicated  the  chief  reason  why  cigarettes  work 
deeper  injury  than  pipe  or  cigar;  for  addicts  of 
either  of  the  latter  rarely  inhale,  while  cigarette 
fiends  draw  the  poison  directly  down  into  their 
lungs. 

Aside  from  this  fact,  chewing  and  snuffing  take 
the  vicious  lead  by  reason  of  the  nicotine  being 
thus  absorbed  into  the  human  system  through 
direct  contact  with  the  membrane  linings  of  nose 
and  mouth. 

But  that  does  not  mean  that  smokers  have  any 
ground  for  special  satisfaction.  The  same  process 
of  nicotine  absorption  by  direct  contact  operates, 
as  the  cigar,  cigarette  or  old  pipe  or  cigar  holder 
is  held  between  the  lips;  but  there  is  a  more 
important  condition  still  to  consider.  When  the 
tobacco  burns  (scientists  admit  that  a  small  part 
of  the  nicotine  is  burned  up,  but  likewise  prove 
that  plenty  of  it  is  left  for  the  "benefit"  of  the 
dear  smoker),  the  burning  of  the  various  sub- 
stances composing  tobacco  creates  new  poisons 
in  the  form  of  gases — which  you  see  as  tobacco 

Page  nine 


smoke.  These  poisons  have  been  isolated  by  scien- 
tific analysis  and  identified,  and  are  as  follows: 
Pyridine^  picolme,  lutadine,  paroline,  coridinet  rubidine 
and  irridine.  Ammonia  is  one  of  the  milder  irritants 
liberated  in  tobacco  smoke.  Another  ingredient 
is  that  very  fume  which  kills  the  suicide  who  turns 
on  the  illuminating  gas  in  his  closed  room,  namely, 
carbon  monoxide.  The  most  interesting  tidbit  of  all 
which  I  can  authoritatively  offer  my  readers  in  this 
connection  is  the  news  that  tobacco  smoke  also 
contains  the  deadliest  of  all  poisons — to  which 
nicotine  itself  yields  precedence.  Don't  be  startled 
— I  refer  to  no  less  mortal  a  poison  than  prussic  acid. 

The  moral  is,  firstly — that  while  chewers  and 
snuffers  get  more  nicotine  into  their  systems, 
smokers  are  "compensated"  with  a  host  of  other 
poisons;  and  secondly — that  certain  brands  of 
tobacco  containing  a  comparatively  low  percentage 
of  nicotine  may  be  all  the  more  harmful  because 
of  the  many  added  toxins  which  arise.  The 
conclusion  leaves  little  room  for  choice.  It's  a 
case  of  "six  of  one  and  half  a  dozen  of  the 
other.**  The  use  of  tobacco,  even  moderately,  is 
always  harmful  to  the  users. 

Nicotine — the  most  active  drug  in  tobacco— is 
insidiously  powerful.  It  gains  a  peculiar  hold  upon 
its  victim,  often  stronger  than  alcohol;  for  while 
an  alcoholic  can  in  many  cases  go  along  cheer- 
fully for  a  considerable  period  without  having  any 
desire  for  an  intoxicating  beverage,  the  man  who 
has  an  unconquered  tobacco  habit  must  constantly 
have  his  poison  in  some  form,  or  suffer. 

Page  ten 


Heroically  to  go  without  one's  favorite  form  of 
tobacco  for  a  brief  period  doesn't  amount  to  much 
if  the  craving  exists  and  continually  aggravates. 
This  is  a  cardinal  truth  which  the  reader  must 
grasp  and  hold — always.  It  is  not  the  indulgence 
in  an  appetite  that  the  remedial  suggestions  here 
offered  aim  to  root  out,  but  the  appetite  itself. 
To  keep  away  from  tobacco  voluntarily,  but 
reluctandy,  as  a  child  is  schooled  to  keep  away 
from  his  beloved  jam  pantry,  means  little.  But 
to  turn  one's  back  on  the  habit  determinedly, 
joyously,  enthusiastically,  for  the  sheer  spontaneous 
pleasure  of  the  step — is  everything. 

A  sailor  on  a  long  voyage  does  not  bother  his 
head  over  the  lack  of  grog,  but  will  pine  for  a 
regular  supply  of  tobacco.  Men  in  prison  quickly 
become  accustomed  to  doing  without  alcohol,  but 
they  simply  must  have  their  tobacco. 

There's  one  thing  which  must  be  done  by  the 
person  who  wants  to  become  freed  from  the 
shackles  of  the  tobacco  habit.  He  must  conquer  it  so 
completely  that  he  will  afterward  have  no  more 
hankering  for  tobacco  than  for  fried  crow. 

In  this  volume  I  tell  how  to  do  it.  My  pre- 
scriptions are  not  those  of  the  medical  man — I  am 
not  a  physician  and  do  not  dispense  drugs.  Nor 
should  this  book  take  the  place  of  medical  atten- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  numerous 
members  of  the  medical  fraternity,  including  some 
of  the  foremost,  have  come  to  me  in  their  own 
behalf,  and  many  have  sent  their  patients  to  my 

Page  eleven 


health   farm   for  the   main   purpose   of  assuring   a 
complete  riddance  of  the  tobacco  addiction. 

But  it  isn't  possible  for  every  man  who  is 
excessively  smoking,  chewing  or  snuff-taking  to 
come  to  me.  Therefore,  through  the  medium  of 
this  book,  I  have  come  to  him  with  the  general 
system  so  advantageously  followed  upon  **The 
Farm,"  my  country  place,  where  health  and  cheer- 
fulness are  the  watchwords. 

My  system  is  harmless,  there  is  no  risk  involved 
in  following  it,  no  loss  of  time,  no  expenditure  of 
money,  no  strain  upon  the  will,  no  mystery,  no 
drugs,  no  fads  and  no  inconvenience. 

The  time  required  need  not  be  long.  I  ask  that 
there  be  no  quitting  of  the  use  of  tobacco  for  two 
weeks.  The  craving  disappears  very  soon  there- 
after in  the  majority  of  cases.  Some  report  it  as 
instantly  going.  Others  lose  all  desire  within  a 
few  days.  Still  others  have  occasional  hankerings 
during  a  month.  Few,  indeed,  are  troubled 
beyond  that  period.  The  health  is  invariably 
improved.     Efficiency  mounts  high. 

The  underlying  principle  is  NATURE.  I  show 
how  it  is  to  be  properly  applied  to  achieve  the 
desired  victory  gracefully,  cheerfully,  delightfully 
and  lastingly. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


Page  twelve 


HOW   TO   PROCEED 

Each  Dictum  is  a  chapter  by  itself.  The  rule 
appears  at  the  head,  enclosed  in  a  border.  The 
text  that  follows  is  an  explanation  which  makes 
the  purpose  of  the  Dictum  clear. 

Read  all  the  Dictums,  except  XV.,  and  put  them 
into  practice  simultaneously. 

This  will  be  easy  to  do. 

After  two  weeks,  simply  substitute  Dictum  XV. 
for  Dictum  II.  and  keep  on  until  all  desire  for 
tobacco  has  left  you. 

After  you  no  longer  have  any  craving  for 
tobacco,  my  belief  is  you  will  find  the  Dictums  so 
beneficial  that  you  will  decide  to  continue  following 
most  of  them.  If  so,  this  book  will  have  attained 
an  object  far  broader  than  that  for  which  you  are 
now  stud3ring  it. 

For  your  own  interest  keep  this  book  handy 
and  follow  every  detail  faithfully.  You  can  posi- 
tively succeed  if  you  persevere.  If  you  are  a 
quitter  you  will  secretly  despise  yourself.  The 
enjoyment  of  victory  and  all  its  advantages  will 
be  so  great  that  you  must  determine  to  win — ^which 
means  that  your  success  is  already  virtually  won. 

Page  thirteen 


DICTUM    I. 


Having  decided  to  quit  tobacco,  keep 
your  thoughts  upon  the  grand  benefit  soon 
to  come,  and  do  not  allow  yourself  to  be 
dissuaded  from  your  purpose. 


Greetings  and  congratulations  to  you  upon  hav- 
ing reached  this  stage.  You  are  facing  one  of  the 
most  important  epochs  of  your  life.  You  like  to 
conquer  difficulties.  You  have  done  so  in  the  past. 
Now  you  are  ready  for  another  victory.  You 
will  win  it,  too. 

You  have  often  prided  yourself  upon  what  you 
are  able  to  do.  You  have  accomplished  things  in 
the  course  of  your  career  that  perhaps  no  one 
else  could  have  done  so  well;  but,  despite  your 
fine  capabilities,   you  have  overlooked   one  thing. 

A  little  *' joker'*  in  your  life  has  been  grinning 
at  you  all  the  time.  It  has  held  you  in  its  power. 
With  all  your  inherent  abilities  you  have  been 
unable  to  rout  this  subtle  rascal  out. 

**Behold  your  fine  career!*'  sneers  the  imp. 
"You  may  have  done  wonders,  but  you  have  never 
been  able  to  shake  me;  I  have  played  havoc  with 
you;  I  am  bound  to  make  more  trouble.  The 
longer  I  hold  my  grip  on  you  the  more  strongly 

Page  fourteen 


will  the  mischief  work.  I  know  where  to  attack 
man  in  his  weakest  spots.  I  have  shortened 
countless  careers  through  snufHng  out  the  vital 
light.      I  have  my  fangs  fastened  deep  into  you,** 

In  this  spirit  of  sardonic  raillery  the  evil  genius. 
Demon  Nicotine,  has  been  proclsuming  his  triumph 
over  you.  Tobacco  is  one  of  those  insidious  so- 
called  luxuries  which  you  have  tolerated  because 
you  did  not  realize  how  much  harm  it  was  really 
doing  to  your  system,  and  because  you  didn't  know 
just  how  to  get  rid  of  the  addiction. 

Not  until  you  found  that  tobacco  was  the  cause 
of  your  continued  irritability,  or  when  your  digest- 
ive organism  gave  you  serious  trouble,  or  when 
the  doctor  said  he  couldn't  tell  just  then  whether 
tobacco  had  given  you  an  out-and-out  cancer,  or 
when  your  heart  gave  you  significant  warnings,  or 
when  you  couldn't  sleep  right,  or  when  you  found 
your  eyesight  failing  through  amaurosis,  did  you 
waken  to  the  need  of  doing  something. 

Does  this  book  find  you  in  that  predicament? 

Or  maybe  you  have  realized  how  the  use  of 
tobacco  is  lessening  your  efficiency  to  such  an 
extent  that  your  memory  is  defective;  you  cannot 
think  as  quickly  as  you  used  to,  or  you  lack  the 
power  of  concentration,  or  you  are  melancholic, 
or  you  are  easily  upset. 

Is  that  your  difficulty? 

Or,  it  may  be,  while  you  are  not  thoroughly 
enslaved  by  the  tobacco  habit,  and  you  do  not 
suffer  from  any  disorder  obviously  traceable  to  it, 
that  you  have  reached  the  common-sense  conclu- 

Page  fifteen 


sion,  based  upon  your  observations  and  logical 
inductions,  that  it  is  better  for  you  not  to  use 
tobacco. 

Greetings  and  congratulations  if  such  is  your 
fixed  resolve! 

Your  will  power,  strong  as  it  is,  cannot  Hght 
off  tobacco  addiction,  or  any  other  for  that  matter, 
by  merely  demanding  that  it  vanish.  You  know 
that  this  evil  genius  will  not  make  his  exit  so  easily. 
Rome  wasn*t  built  in  a  day.  Ills,  begotten  of 
habit  and  rooted  in  the  system,  do  not  disappear 
"by  request.*'  Remember  how  your  will  weak- 
ened when  you  tried  to  extirpate  Demon  Nicotine 
that  way.  He  laughed  and  you  yielded  to  the 
craving.  He  beckoned  and  you  weakly  followed. 
You  punished  yourself  by  straining  your  will  power 
alone,  and  in  the  end  Tobacco  punished  you 
more  by  resuming  his  sway  over  you.  That  is  the 
Alpha  and  Omega  of  almost  every  addict  who 
fights  this  habit  with  the  obsolete  shrapnel  of  will 
alone,  instead  of  with  the  modern  explosive  shell 
of  sane  living,  plus  the  specific  Dictums  here 
outlined,  or  some  other  sensible  method. 

As  you  read  this  book  you  will  learn  that  the 
habit  is  blotted  out  not  by  a  sanatorium  formula, 
but  by  rational,  scientific,  little-by-little  self-treat- 
ment. If  you  have  been  employing  the  services 
of  a  physician,  show  him  this  book. 

You  want  to  know  now  how  to  get  the  effects 
of  tobacco  poison  out  of  your  whole  body,  physic- 
ally and  mentally.  You  don't  want  to  suffer  tor- 
tures needlessly.     The  abrupt,  unscientific  and  cruel 

Page  sixteen 


method  of  deliberately  stopping  the  use  of  tobacco 
without  giving  your  vital  organs  compensating 
relief  isn*t  comparable  to  the  mild  and  scientific 
way  which  I  am  showing  you. 

Having  convinced  yourself  of  the  fallacy  of 
trying  to  quit  by  merely  exercising  your  will  power, 
you  are  wondering  rvh^  it  is  that  you  cannot  simply 
wish  the  craving  out  of  your  system.  The  trouble 
has  been  that  you  do  not  understand  the  etiology, 
pathology,  psychology  and  treatment  of  that  branch 
of  drug  addiction  (yes,  that's  what  you  have)  which 
embraces  the  tobacco  habit.  This  is  no  fault  of 
yours  and  there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  go 
into  that  deep  study  now,  but  a  brief  explanation 
in  plain  language  will  not  be  amiss. 

Don't  lose  confidence  in  yourself;  don*t  blame 
yourself  causelessly  if  in  the  past  you  have  endeav- 
ored to  "cut  out'*  tobacco  and  failed;  or  if  you 
know  or  imagine  that  you  would  not  be  able  to 
quit  the  habit  merely  by  * 'willing"  it  so. 

Moreover,  if  you  have  attempted  to  cure  your- 
self with  your  physician's  prescriptions  or  proprie- 
tary remedies,  or  through  sanatorium  treatment, 
and  did  not  succeed,  don't  blame  anybody  unless 
your  own  guilty  conscience  impels  you  to  reproach 
yourself  for  not  having  followed  directions  faith- 
fully. Too  many  physicians  are  censured  because 
they  fail  to  effect  cures  in  specific  cases,  when 
they  might  have  done  so  if  their  patients  had  been 
square  with  themselves. 

Whether  this  is  the  case  with  you  or  not,  begin 
again.      Remain    cheerily    undaunted.       No    unre- 

Page  seventeen 


coverable  ground  has  been  lost.  What  is  past  is 
past.  You  are  harboring  no  feelings  of  resent- 
ment against  anybody.  Your  experience  has  been 
instructive,  illuminating.  It  has  taught  you  some- 
thing. You  are  now  dealing  fairly  with  the  subject 
and  with  yourself. 

The  general  course  of  tobacco  invasion  may  be 
described  as  twofold. 

In  the  first  place,  the  poisons  march  right  into 
your  system  by  absorption,  by  osmotic  pressure, 
by  filtration — call  it  what  you  will.  The  process 
consists  of  * 'Nicotine  and  Company**  pushing  into 
and  through  the  mucous  surfaces,  infinitely  more 
sensitive  than  our  porous  skin,  and  which  line  the 
nose,  throat,  ear  chambers,  lungs,  digestive  pas- 
sages and  other  organs  of  the  body,  including  the 
visible  as  well  as  the  microscopic  nerve  fibres. 
These  continuous  membranes,  constantly  covering 
themselves  with  special  moisture  (e.  g.,  saliva), 
become  irritated  and  dried-up.  The  nerves  in 
their  sheaths  become  contracted  and  shrivelled. 
They  feel  "frazzled.** 

In  the  second  place,  the  assault  of  the  tobacco 
poisons  on  the  user  consists  of — don't  be  shocked 
— asphyxiation. 

Stop  and  think.  What  really  happens  when  a 
man  drowns,  or  is  hanged,  or  is  choked  by  the 
smoke  of  a  consuming  conflagration,  or  succumbs 
to  an  overdose  of  chloroform? 

When  you  breathe  you  take  oxygen  into  your 
lungs;  and  through  the  subdivisions  of  the  lungs, 
which   connect   by   many   minute    channels    (capil- 

Page  eighteen 


laries)  with  the  blood,  the  oxygen  is  given  to  the 
red  corpuscles  waiting  for  that  oxygen,  just  as  a 
steam  engine  waits  for  its  necessary  draft  of  air. 
You  don't  consciously  feel  it,  but  it  is  these  blood 
corpuscles  which  do  the  * 'thirsting  for  air,**  the 
important  part  of  the  air  being  the  oxygen. 

And  when  you  expel  a  breath  you  are  throwing 
off  something  which  is  more  or  less  impure — that 
is,  by  reverse  process  the  lungs  have  gathered  up 
the  consumed  oxygen  (now  carbon  dioxide),  or 
waste,    out   of   the   blood,    and   are    eliminating   it. 

Physical  life  consists  of  taking  in  food  and 
oxygen,  creating  waste,  removing  that  waste  and 
again  taking  in  food  and  oxygen. 

Now  then,  asphyxiation  meeuis  that  the  blood 
corpuscles  are  filled  with  some  foreign  substance 
(some  poison  that  may  have  been  taken  in,  or  an 
accumulation  of  waste  that  cannot  be  thrown  out), 
and  are  thus  deprived  of  the  oxygen  they  must 
have. 

The  smoker  takes  in  the  very  substance  which 
normally  he  throws  out  (carbon  dioxide  as  well 
as  nicotine)  and  the  many  other  poisons  already 
enumerated.  The  chewer  (or  snuffer)  takes  in  the 
nicotine  and  certain  other  poisons  even  more 
directly  than  through  the  lungs.  As  soon  as  these 
toxins  (poisons)  reach  the  red  corpuscles  the 
latter  are  choked,  they  cannot  any  longer  take  up 
sufficient  oxygen  and  are  unable  to  feed  the  tissues, 
among  them  the  nerves. 

Thede  two  general  processes — firstly,  attacking 
the   mucous-membrane   system;   secondly,    starving 

Page  nineteen 


the  tissues  of  the  body  and  shutting  out  the  oxygen, 
both  processes  scientifically  demonstrable — tend  to 
undermine  the  whole  human  machine.  In  fact, 
there  is  hardly  a  malady  which  is  not  traceable  to 
them  or  aggravated  by  them.  On  the  nerves 
they  particularly  reflect  this  dual  damage — firstly, 
by  contraction  and  a  tendency  to  squeeze  the 
nerves  into  decay  and  petrifaction;  secondly,  by 
cutting  off  nutrition  from  the  nerves,  causing  them 
to  lose  function  and  die. 

And  as  the  nerves  weaken  the  power  of  will 
weakens  with  them. 

So  we  come  at  last  to  the  question  of  will  power. 
What  is  will  power,  friend?  Nothing  more  or  less 
than  the  ability  to  translate  an  inward  feeling  into 
action,  regardless  of  any  physical  impediment. 
Will  power  is  a  mental  force  that  sets  your  better 
impulse  on  fire.  It's  the  naked  truth  breaking 
through  the  shell.  Scientifically,  such  power  is  the 
living  expression  of  a  nervous  system  that  is  "on 
the  job."  Your  brain  is  a  bundle  of  nerves,  with 
fibrous  ramifications  coursing  down  the  spine  and 
through  the  body.  So  you  see  you  are  your  nerves. 
If  your  nerves  are  sick  your  will  power  is  sick. 
You  are  sick. 

You  cannot  help  yourself — not  until  you  adopt 
certain  means  to  bring  your  body,  including  the 
nervous  system,  back  to  health.  And  you  are 
going  to  do  it  now  by  Nature's  way. 

You  can  implicitly  follow  the  rules  given  herein 
with  a  feeling  of  perfect  safety  and  confidence 
from  the  outset,  and  the  habit  should  be  overcome 

Page  twenty 


just  as  effectually  as  an  infant  is  weaned  from  the 
baby  bottle.  There  is  nothing  that  involves  the 
use  of  habit-forming  or  other  drastic  drugs. 

Not  even  need  you  say  **good-by**  to  the  poison- 
ous tobacco  until  you  are  reasonably  ready  for  it 
to  leave.  You  need  not  be  physically  inconven- 
ienced or  even  mentally  disturbed. 

The  expense  is  practically  less  than  nothing 
because  the  cost  of  this  book  is  but  a  trifle  when 
compared  with  the  amount  you  spend  for  tobacco. 
Nor  need  you  lose  any  time. 

The  first  requisite  is  that  you  adjust  your  mind 
to  that  condition  which  makes  you  view  with 
pleasurable  expectation  and  relief  the  prospect  of 
being  absolutely  free  from  the  thraldom  of 
nicotine. 

Have  no  misconceptions.  You  will  not  be  sub- 
mitting yourself  to  any  hard  task.  You  are  not 
going  to  suffer  anything  like  what  you  voluntarily 
tolerate  when,  for  example,  you  resign  yourself  to 
the  dentist's  chair,  or  other  ordeals  which  have 
caused  you  physical  or  mental  pain. 

The  self-treatment  method  here  outlined  for  the 
riddance  of  the  tobacco  habit  is  in  no  sense  an 
infliction.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  an  agreeable 
diversion,  the  merits  of  which  will  reveal  them- 
selves from  day  to  day. 

Now  that  you  have  decided  to  stop  committing 
slow  suicide,  do  not  permit  yourself  to  entertain 
any  thoughts  of  wavering.  That  would  be  moral 
cowardice.  Tobacco  remains  a  tempter  while  you 
are  saturated  with  the  effects  of  nicotine  and   in- 

Page  twenty-one 


different  to  your  own  welfare,  but  the  promise  of 
new  health,  springing  from  your  better  self  while 
the  tobacco  craving  is  being  eliminated,  is  such  a 
greater  inspiration  that  your  face  should  beam  with 
rapture  over  the  mere  thought  of  it. 

Now  is  the  time  for  you  easily  to  prove  yourself 
a  hero  and  ever  after  be  proud  of  it.  Self-respect 
is  a  wonderfully  beautiful  possession. 

If  you  are  a  backslider  you  are  bound  to  pay 
the  penalty. 

Follow  the  precept  of  Emerson:  * 'Hitch  your 
wagon  to  a  star.** 

Let  the  unshakeable  resolve  to  conquer  a  habit 
that  debilitates  and  destroys  be  your  star;  let  this 
book  be  the  compass  that  guides  to  that  star  I 

Having  become  impressed  with  the  duty  to  your 
physical  and  mental  well-being,  as  well  as  to  those 
near  and  dear,  you  will  not  be  influenced  against 
your  nobler  self  by  some  deluded  friend,  who,  poor 
fellow,  too  enervated  by  nicotine  even  to  wish  to 
escape,  and  fearsome  of  losing  you  as  a  fellow 
victim,  beseeches  you  earnestly  *'to  smoke  once 
more,  old  chap,  just  once  more.**  Misery  may 
love  company,  but  you — stand  pat. 

Simply  smile  when  friends,  mildly  surprised  at 
your  refusing  to  use  tobacco  and  secretly  envious 
of  your  self-control,  greet  you  with  jocular  or  inane 
remarks.  Let  them  wax  facetious,  while  YOU  wax 
robust,  healthy,  clear-eyed,  fit.  You  will  be  proud 
of  yourself  to  withstand  these  minor  temptations. 
Right-minded  people  will  think  much  better  of 
you  once  you  regain  your  old-time  physical  health. 

Page  twenty -two 


You  will  diffuse  the  good  thereof  among  friends 
and  kin  and  business  associates;  all  your  world  will 
be  sunnier  because  vibrant,  red-blooded  health  is 
again  in  the  saddle. 

It  is  all  a  mistake  to  imagine  that  for  sociability's 
sake  you  must  smoke,  chew  or  snuff  tobacco  if  you 
happen  to  be  with  others  who  are  doing  so.  A 
lover  of  his  fellows  is  not  necessarily  an  enemy  of 
himself.  Nicotine  is  not  the  hall-mark  of  com- 
radeship. In  a  short  time  it  will  be  as  simple  a 
detail  in  your  life's  routine  to  decline  a  proffered 
cigar  or  cigarette  as  it  now  is  for  you  to  refuse 
other  invitations  that  are  unacceptable. 

On  the  other  hand,  one  need  not  be  a  Pharisee 
on  the  subject.  You  are  not  divinely  enjoined  to 
shun  those  of  your  fellow  men  who  are  tobacco 
users.  Self-redemption,  like  charity,  begins  at 
home.  If  you  mend  your  fences,  only  that  and 
nothing  more,  you  will  be  doing  a  manly  man's 
work. 

You  are  a  man  of  brains,  you  have  high  aspira- 
tions— that  you  are  studying  these  lines  is  evidence 
per  se  of  that  fact,  and  it  is  not  incumbent  that  you 
play  the  social  hermit  and  stand  aloof  from  tobacco 
users  for  fear  of  being  lured  from  your  ONE 
GRAND  PURPOSE. 

It  is  wise,  however,  for  the  present,  that  you 
do  not  sit  through  long  sessions  of  a  * 'smoking 
committee,'*  for  if  you  do  you  are  bound  to 
impregnate  body  as  well  as  clothing  with  nicotine, 
and  so  retard  your  health  progress  in  no  small 
measure. 

Page  twenty-three 


Be  faithful  to  the  simple  precepts  of  the  Mac 
Levy  System,  keeping  in  mind  the  text  of  the 
Dictum  at  the  head  of  each  chapter,  and  you  will 
positively  attain  a  much  higher  standard  of  effi- 
ciency combined  with  a  superior  appreciation  of 
the  true  pleasures  of  life. 

Selahl 


Page  twenty-four 


DICTUM    II. 


Continue    with    tobacco    as    usual    for 
two  weeks. 


Do  not  undertake  to  quit  using  tobacco  imme- 
diately. Two  weeks  of  preparation  are  necessary. 
You  may  consume  it  in  the  same  quantity  and 
strength  you  have  been  accustomed  to.  If  you  feel 
that  you  are  making  such  progress  that  you  can 
cease  the  use  of  tobacco  before  the  fixed  time,  do 
not  stop  completely — reduce  the  quantity  if  so 
inclined,  but  do  not  stop  altogether.  If  you  should 
feel  the  genuine  need  of  extending  the  preparatory 
period,  you  may  do  so.  In  the  case  of  your  being 
aged  or  weak,  an  extension  may  be  desirable. 
You  are  the  one  who  can  judge  this.  Presuming 
you  haven't  otherwise  any  reason  to  consult  a 
physician  at  this  time,  don't  worry  a  moment  about 
your  heart,  liver  or  any  other  part  of  your  organism 
if  you  are  faithfully  following  the  Dictums,  and 
provided  you  do  not  unreasonably  postpone  the 
innovation  of  Dictum  XV. 

You  are  about  to  adopt  some  specific  rules  of 
living  that  will  prepare  your  system  for  a  very 
much  easier  victory  than  could  be  gained  if  you 
were   to   stop   to-day.      So   take   no   chances.      Be 

Page  twenty- five 


guided  by  one  who  knows.  In  this  case  you  will 
do  better  to  adopt  "the  course  of  least  resistance." 

In  adopting  the  various  new  rules,  there  might 
be  a  slight  reaction  during  the  first  day  or  two, 
although  this  is  scarcely  probable.  After  a  couple 
of  days,  however,  the  improvement  in  your  condi- 
tion should  be  noticeable  daily — almost  from  hour 
to  hour. 

Again  I  tell  you  that  fidelity  to  the  Dictums 
is  absolutely  requisite.  If  you  ignore  them,  or 
merely  follow  them  in  an  indifferent  way,  you  are 
doing  double  injustice.  The  first  injustice  is  to 
yourself,  the  second  to  the  Mac  Levy  System. 

That  you  can  quit  using  tobacco  in  two  weeks, 
regardless  of  the  length  of  time  you  have  been 
addicted  to  it,  is  a  therapeutically  positive  cer- 
tainty, proved  in  principle  and  in  detail  beyond  the 
shadow  of  a  question. 

You  are  therefore  bound  to  succeed. 

Selahf 


Page  twenty-six 


DICTUM   III. 


Sip  all  the  liquids  and  other  soft  foods, 
allowing  them  to  remain  for  a  brief  period 
in  the  mouth  before  swallowing.  Chew 
every  mouthful  or  bite  of  solid  or  dry 
food  twenty-eight  (28)  times  before 
swallowing. 


You  will  find  this  rule  the  most  difficult  of  all, 
because  you  have  probably  been  habituated  to 
eating  too  quickly,  and  it  will  require  close  applica- 
tion on  your  part  to  change  your  custom  at  meals. 

No  excuses  will  be  allowed.  If  you  are  eating 
in  the  company  of  others,  you  will  lag  behind 
them  in  finishing  courses,  unless  you  partake  of  a 
smaller  portion  of  food — and  that's  just  what  you 
will  soon  accustom  yourself  to  doing. 

Here  let  me  say  that  you  needn't  worry  a  bit 
about  losing  weight  by  eating  less,  according  to 
the  plan  here  given.  Better  leave  the  table  slightly 
hungry;  this  false  demand  for  something  more  will 
diminish  even  as  you  are  walking  away  from  the 
table,  and  in  a  few  moments  it  will  have  dis- 
appeared entirely.  If  between  meals  you  feel  a 
craving  for  food,  eat  an  apple  or  other  piece  of 
fruit  according  to  this  Dictum. 

Page  twenty-seven 


If  you  are  thinner  than  you  normally  should 
be,  you  will  gain  in  healthy  flesh  with  speed  and 
certainty.  If  you  are  overstout  you  will  reduce 
surprisingly  and  get  rid  of  unhealthy  adiposity 
simultaneously  with  the  riddance  of  tobacco  addic- 
tion. These  two  statements  may  seem  paradoxical, 
but  both  are  true.  As  overweight  and  under- 
weight are  each  often  the  result  of  abnormal  func- 
tioning, the  restoration  of  normal  processes  is  the 
cure  for  one  as  for  the  other.  Your  food  will  be 
neither  wasted  nor  diverted. 

You  will  experience  a  remarkable  benefit  from 
the  voluntary  curtailment  of  your  usual  quantum 
of  food.  A  less  quantity  eaten,  according  to  this 
rule,  will  nourish  you  much  more  than  the  larger 
portions  to  which  you  were  accustomed  and  which 
you  habitually  consumed  with  needless  haste. 

An  invaluable  principle  is  predicated  on  this 
Dictum.  Its  faithful  observance  will  be  not  only 
of  aid  to  you  in  conquering  your  tobacco  addic- 
tion, but  will  be  of  lasting  benefit  to  your  general 
health.  Whole  books  upon  the  great  value  of 
slow  eating  have  been  written  by  Horace  Fletcher 
and  others. 

When  eating  slowly  you  merely  utilize  Nature's 
provision  for  insuring  perfect  digestion.  Nature, 
we  are  wisely  told,  imposes  no  penalties  for  obey- 
ing her  beneficent  commands.  If  it  be  granted 
that  Nature  is  always  right,  the  lack  of  equilibrium 
and  tranquillity  in  your  digestive  organism — due  to 
using  tobacco — is  unnatural.  Nature  has  been 
disobeyed.      Naturally  someone  will  pay.      Follow 

Page  twenty-eight 


the  Dictum  and  you  neutralize  her  penalty.  You 
help   remove   the  reproach   of   continued   sickness. 

For  the  sake  of  easy  definition,  what  you  eat 
may  be  classified  as  wet  and  c/rp.  Foods,  such  as 
soups,  ice  cream,  milk  puddings,  stewed  fruit  and 
other  soft  edibles,  come  under  the  designation  of 
WeL  Foods  which  obviously  need  chewing  are 
termed  dry. 

You  are  to  start  the  new  regimen  with  your  next 
meal. 

Follow  the  rule  of  slowly  eating  wet  food. 
Ordinarily,  perhaps,  you  have  gulped  spoonful 
after  spoonful  of  soup  as  quickly  as  you  could 
introduce  it  into  the  mouth.  This  is  wrong.  You 
must  deliberately  pause  between  each  spoonful 
of  soup,  or  of  any  other  soft  or  liquid  food,  and 
bring  the  action  of  your  mouth  juices  upon  it 
before  swallowing. 

Do  not  drink  soup  or  milk  or  bolt  soft  foods. 
They  require  the  exercise  of  your  mouth  muscles 
and  glands  as  much  as  solid  foods  do.  Sip  every 
food  liquid  that  has  taste  in  it,  so  that  your  palate 
may  have  the  full  enjojnnent.  Such  enjoyment 
helps  digestion. 

It  has  been  well  pointed  out  that  adult  man  was 
not  originally  intended  to  take  his  nourishment  in 
a  liquid  form.  Hence,  all  liquids  having  taste 
must  be  treated  as  solids  and  insalivated  in  the 
mouth  by  masticatory  movements  until  their  taste 
is  removed.  Your  appetite,  satisfied  by  this  infil- 
tering  operation,  becomes  * 'sweetly  appeased,  calm, 
rested,  contented  and  normal.** 

Page  twenty-nine 


Solid  food  served  in  your  soups,  such  as  meat, 
noodles,  barley,  etc.,  or  any  other  solid  food  which 
requires  chewing,  may  be  considered  as  belonging 
to  the  dry  class.  Teach  your  mouth  to  treat  these 
foods  invariably  as  dry,  and  to  chew  them  twenty- 
eight  times  before  they  are  swallowed. 

Every  mouthful  of  dry  food  is  to  be  subjected 
to  this  operation  also.  Chew  it  at  least  twenty- 
eight  times;  more  if  necessary.  What  you  swallow 
must  always  be  a  soft  pulp. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  healing  food  elements 
to  neutralize  the  effects  of  the  nicotine  poison, 
which  impairs  the  work  of  your  stomach  and  intes- 
tines. It  is  needful  to  maintain  the  inner  man  in 
proper  condition.  An  habituated  tobacco  user 
cannot  lay  claim  to  such  a  certificate  of  health  with 
regard  to  his  alimentary  system.  He  has  an  abused 
palate  as  well  as  an  enervated  stomach.  Tobacco 
has  vitiated  his  taste  by  adulterating  his  mouth 
juices. 

The  palate  has  been  described  as  our  dietetic 
conscience.  There  are  many  misfit  palates  due  to 
a  wrong  dietary,  but  far  more  result  from  the  use 
of  tobacco.  Many  are  due  to  both.  A  tobacco 
user's  dietetic  conscience  has  become  perverted 
through  an  artificial  appetite  for  a  drug,  which  is 
noxious  to  a  normal  palate. 

Your  body  tissues,  till  they  became  inoculated 
with  its  poison,  did  not  call  for  tobacco.  Hence 
you  know  it  is  a  false  and  abnormal  appetite, 
betokening  a  general  discontent  of  the  body.  By 
my    system    you    will    lose    your    craving    for    the 

Page  thirty 


abnormal  (a  drug) ;  the  natural  office  of  your 
palate  will  soon  be  restored,  your  mouth  juices  will 
regain  their  abundance  and  purity,  your  desire  for 
tobacco  will  steadily  wane  and  will  finally  vanish. 
Selah! 


Page  thirty-one 


DICTUM    IV. 


Avoid   foods   and   drinks  that   disagree 
with  you. 


You  are  a  person  of  mature  age.  You  know, 
through  experience,  the  foods  that  have  a  tendency 
to  create  gas,  acidity,  "heartburn/*  headache, 
biliousness,  indigestion,  flatulency,  constipation, 
nervousness  or  other  internal  irregularities  in  your 
case. 

Your  stomach  must  be  treated  with  the  utmost 
fairness.  Almost  every  person  knows  of  some 
kinds  of  foods  and  drinks  that  derange  the  system, 
and  his  own  in  particular. 

One  of  the  most  common  edibles  that  create 
this  mischief  in  some  individual  is  onion,  particu- 
larly when  fried.  Other  persons  experience  distress 
in  consequence  of  eating  cucumbers  or  even  the 
tempting  watermelon.  Perhaps  you  can  enjoy 
these  edibles  in  moderation,  yet  are  in  trouble 
after  eating  hard-boiled  eggs  or  anything  fried  in 
lard.  You  know  your  own  idiosyncrasies  in  this 
respect  and  should  be  guided  by  them  now. 

What  is  popularly  termed  * 'heartburn"  (a 
stomach  disorder)  attacks  some  persons  after  they 
partake   of   dark,    heavy   breads;    others   following 

Page  thirty-two 


the   eating   of   red   meats,    sharp -tasting   sauces    or 
condiments,  and  so  on. 

Strawberries  act  poisonously  upon  the  skin  of 
some  folks.  Others  again  can  eat  berries  with 
impunity,  but  find  lobster  disturbing.  Dishes  pre- 
pared with  garlic  are  nauseating  to  still  others. 
A  visitor  at  The  Farm  suffered  from  a  serious 
throat  distemper  every  time  he  ate  nuts,  so  I 
stopped  him.  Other  peculiar  instances  could  be 
cited.     There  is  no  hard-and-fast  rule. 

Boiled  or  broiled  foods  are  easier  for  the  aver- 
age stomach  to  manage  than  those  which  are 
fried.  Simple  foods  are  usually  better  than  com- 
binations. When  in  doubt  rely  upon  the  simple 
food. 

A  meal  comprising  several  courses  is  not  so 
good  for  the  digestion  as  one  that  consists  of  soup 
followed  by  fish  or  meat,  with  a  light  dessert  of 
plain  pudding  (corn  starch,  bleinc  mange,  etc.) 
or  fruit. 

Meat  should  not  be  eaten  oftener  than  once  a 
day.  Three  times  a  week  would  be  even  better 
if  you  are  not  engaged  chiefly  in  physical  labor. 

No  fixed  dietary  schedule  is  given  you.  Eat 
whatever  you  like,  unless  you  know  it  is  unde- 
sirable for  you  to  do  so. 

There  is  no  wish  here  to  inconvenience  you 
beyond  keeping  you  away  from  disturbing  food 
elements. 

Specifically,  the  reason  for  this  Dictum  is  that  an 
easy  victory  over  your  tobacco  addiction  requires 
that  you  be  aided  in  every  possible  natural  way. 

Page  thirty-three 


A  disturbance,  due  to  indigestion  or  constipa- 
tion, such  as  nervousness,  gnawing  sensation,  a 
feeling  of  glutted  satiety  or  the  like,  is  too  readily 
regarded  by  the  imaginative  mind  as  a  call  for 
tobacco,  whereas  it  is  nothing  of  the  sort.  Over 
and  over  again  have  you  unconsciously  verified  this 
truth;  you  proved  it  every  time  you  experienced  a 
strong  desire  to  use  tobacco  in  your  favorite  form, 
after  having  dined  heartily. 

You  had  overloaded  your  stomach  with  an  in- 
compatible mass  of  food  and  erroneously  attributed 
the  inward  desire  or  *'kick**  to  a  demand  for 
tobacco;  whereas,  if  you  had  understood  your 
inner  works  correctly,  you  would  have  known  that 
the  complaint  was  against  that  with  which  you  had 
loaded  yourself  rather  than  a  solicitation  for 
nicotine. 

There  is  no  need  to  tell  you  now  not  to  over- 
burden your  stomach.  You  are  not  naturally  a 
glutton,  so  a  faithful  observance  of  Dictum  III. 
will  amply  protect  you. 

Selah! 


Page  thirty-four 


DICTUM   V. 


Consume  eight  ordinary  glasses  of 
liquid,  non-alcoholic  and  non-gaseous, 
daily,  between  meals. 


In  following  this  Dictum  you  had  better  confine 
yourself  generally  to  plain  water,  but  at  times  you 
may  also,  if  desired,  partake  of  a  few  glasses  of 
milk.  The  milk  category  includes  sweet  milk, 
sour  milk,  clabber,  buttermilk,  malted  milk,  kumyss 
and  several  excellent  kinds  of  prepared  proprietary 
milks.     Sip  the  liquids  slowly. 

Do  not  sip  these  eight  glasses  (approximately 
two  quarts)  all  at  one  or  two  sessions.  Distribute 
the  drinking  of  them  at  regular  intervals  during 
those  hours  that  you  are  awake.  For  example: 
a  glass  at  arising,  three  glasses  between  breakfast 
and  midday  meal,  three  glasses  in  the  afternoon 
and  one  when  retiring. 

Suit  yourself  as  to  whether  your  liquid  is  to 
be  hot  or  cool.  The  sipping  of  hot  water  has  a 
marked  alleviative  effect  upon  dyspeptic  condi- 
tions, and  I  recommend  it  strongly. 

Swallow  whatever  liquid  beverages  best  agree 
with  you,  but  bear  in  mind  these  few  stipulations: 

Avoid  liquids  which  you  plainly  know  will  cause 

Page  thirty-five 


a  disturbance  in  your  stomach.  If  past  experience 
tells  you  that  coffee,  tea,  ginger  ale  or  any  other 
beverage  should  not  be  indulged  in,  be  fair  and 
delete  it  from  your  menu  while  following  my 
system. 

The  prevailing  medical  opinion  is  opposed  to 
the  partaking  of  any  liquids  whatever  during  meals 
(and  I  hold  the  same  view),  but  it  is  not  made 
an  imperative  rule  of  my  system.  I  therefore 
suggest  that,  without  fighting  any  natural  in- 
clination, you  drink  as  little  as  you  can  during 
meals. 

Always  remember  the  sipping  rule  laid  down  in 
this  Dictum.  It  applies  to  each  and  every  glass, 
cup  or  spoonful  of  liquid  taken  into  your  mouth. 
And  it  is  of  paramount  importance.  With  milk 
especially  so,  for  milk  is  a  food  in  liquid  form;  it 
contains  a  considerable  percentage  of  fats,  and  if 
it  cascades  its  way  hurriedly  into  your  stomach  it 
does  so  at  that  stomach's  peril. 

Now  let  us  journey  from  one  liquid  to  another—- 
from  a  mainstay  of  life  to  a  scourge  of  life — from 
milk  to  alcohol. 

King  Alcohol  is  a  silent  partner  of  Demon 
Nicotine.  In  fact,  they  are  close  kindred.  They 
generally  work  hand  in  hand  like  teammates. 
When  King  Alcohol  gets  into  action  almost 
the  first  thing  he  does  is  to  whistle  for  his 
friend  Nicotine.  Then  they  act  like  irresponsible 
roisterers. 

No  man  need  be  told  that  spirituous  drinks 
are  bad;  so  the  less  you  pour  down  your  throat 

Page  thirty-six 


the  better.  This  book,  however,  has  its  defined 
scope  and  does  not  specifically  embrace  any  plan 
for  conquering  alcoholism  by  self-treatment. 
Therefore  the  alcohol  question  from  that  angle 
will  not  be  considered  here. 

One  thing  may  be  predicted,  however.  If  you 
are  addicted  to  the  misuse  of  alcohol  you  will  find 
that  riddance  of  the  tobacco  craving,  coupled  with 
a  general  and  continued  adherence  to  these 
Dictums,  will  help  you  materially  in  controlling 
the  craving  for  alcohol. 

If  you  feel  that  you  must  partake  of  alcoholic 
beverages,  the  advice  I  offer  you  is  to  choose 
light,  non-gaseous  wines  and  light  beer  rather 
than  so-called  sparkling  or  heavy  wines  or  spiritu- 
ous liquors. 

Don't  allow  yourself  to  be  fooled  into  believing 
that  so-called  "bitters,**  creme  de  menthe,  vermuth 
cocktails,  Benedictine,  Dubonnet,  medicinal  wines 
and  the  like  contain  no  alcohol.  They  are  all 
alcoholic  and  some  of  them  are  worse. 

The  business  manager  of  a  concern  specializing 
in  one  of  the  varieties  of  * 'cheer**  above  mentioned 
was  compelled  to  rest  at  The  Farm  for  several 
weeks  because  his  stomach  was  in  a  deplorable 
condition.  He  had  been  too  ambitiously  exploiting 
his  own  commodity  by  sampling  it  frequently  with 
trade  customers.  He  admitted  to  me  that,  in  addi- 
tion to  a  strong  percentage  of  alcohol,  the  decoc- 
tion contained  a  powerful  drug  that  is  not  at 
present  legally  classified  as  habit-forming,  yet  it 
becomes  a  poison  to  be  feared.     Users  of  the  stuff. 

Page  thirty-seven 


women  particularly,  frequently  consume  several 
glasses  at  one  sitting. 

Soda-fountain  beverages  of  the  fizzing  kind — 
ginger  ale  and  other  such  "pop**  drinks — should  be 
tabooed.  They  tend  to  create  gas  in  the  stomach 
and  to  impair  digestion. 

Coffee,  except  when  taken  moderately  and  in 
considerably  diluted  strength,  is  harmful  to  most 
persons;  and  if  you  know  it  injures  you,  or  dis- 
agrees with  you,  use  a  substitute.  In  such  case 
wrench  yourself  from  the  coffee  habit  willingly, 
joyously,  not  reluctantly. 

There  are  a  number  of  harmless  beverages  that 
may  be  used  in  place  of  coffee.  For  example: 
beef  tea,  cocoa  or  coffee  from  which  caffeine  has 
been  mostly  extracted,  or  hot  milk.  All  these  are 
thirst  quenching,  health  sustaining  and  may  satisfy 
a  coffee  craving.  The  European  custom  of  drink- 
ing half-and-half  of  coffee  and  hot  milk,  or  three- 
quarters  hot  milk  and  one-quarter  coffee,  is  far 
better  than  our  high-strung  American  habit  of 
ordering  a  full  cup  of  black  coffee  with  its  spoonful 
of  cream. 

The  same  suggestions  apply  to  tea.  A  small 
amount  of  tea  is  practically  harmless,  but,  like 
coffee,  it  is  used  excessively  by  too  many  people. 

A  remarkably  efficacious  substitute  for  tea, 
soothing  for  the  nerves,  and  for  which  you  can 
readily  acquire  a  taste,  is  the  old-fashioned  chamo- 
mile tea.  At  first  this  may  seem  an  insipid  change 
to  you.  But  bear  in  mind  that  you  are  reforming 
your   dietary  to   expel   the  tobacco   craving.      Try 

Page  thirty-eight 


chamomile  tea  for  a  few  days  and  you  "will  learn 
to  like  it  as  well  as  when  it  was  given  you  to  still 
your  restlessness  in  childhood  days. 

Buttermilk  is  an  excellent  curative  agent. 

And  water  is  the  most  dependable  of  all. 

Selah! 


Page  thirty-nine 


DICTUM    VI. 


Practise  deep  breathing  every  morning 
and  night. 


Your  lungs  need  a  housecleaning  as  surely  as 
the  rest  of  the  organs  affected  by  the  tobacco 
habit.  Moreover,  for  health's  sake,  you  require 
the  tonic  and  sanative  effect  of  fresh  air  in  the 
lungs  ai  all  times. 

The  most  desirable  periods  for  doing  the  simple 
deep-breathing  exercises,  so  beneficial  to  lungs  and 
system,  are  in  the  morning  upon  arising  and  each 
night  just  prior  to  retiring. 

Acquire  the  habit  of  taking  a  series  of  deep 
breaths  with  the  same  systematic  regularity  that 
you  don  your  clothes  in  the  morning  and  remove 
them  at  night.  There  is,  of  course,  no  objection 
if  you  carry  out  deep-breathing  exercises  at  any 
other  day  periods  in  addition  to  those  specified; 
in  fact,  you  will  benefit  yourself  by  doing  so 
within  reasonable  limitations.  The  procedure  is 
simple: 

Stand  erect  by  an  open  window,  hands  resting 
at  your  sides,  mouth  closed.  Inhale  slowly  and 
deeply  through  the  nose,  gradually  raising  your 
arms    sideways    until     the    hands    come    together 

Page  forty 


above  your  head,  at  which  time  your  lungs  should 
be  well  filled.  After  a  slight  pause,  open  your 
mouth,  exhale  the  air,  at  the  same  time  lowering 
your  arms.  Repeat  this  until  you  have  done  the 
exercise  seven  times.      Rest  briefly  between  times. 

Cold  or  stormy  weather  should  not  deter  you, 
an  earnest  seeker  of  victory  over  an  insidious 
enemy.  Furthermore,  you  need  have  no  fear  of 
catching  cold  when  breathing  through  the  nose. 
If  you  cannot  breathe  freely  through  your  nose  it 
is  high  time  to  consult  a  surgeon. 

Follow  these  deep-breathing  exercises  with  a 
few  moments  of  calisthenics,  using  light  dumb- 
bells; the  benefit  to  health  and  system  which  this 
will  impart  should  invigorate  you  from  toe  to 
crown. 

Selah! 


Page  forty-one 


DICTUM    VII. 


Induce     a     profuse     perspiration     once 
daily. 


Substances  that  should  not  remain  within  the 
system  are  promptly  eliminated  by  Nature,  if  the 
physical  conditions  are  normal.  Where  any  func- 
tion is  retarded  by  the  presence  of  toxic  matter,  a 
health  drawback  for  which  tobacco  in  many  cases 
is  primarily  responsible,  it  is  necessary  for  the  per- 
son who  wishes  to  get  himself  into  normal  condition 
to  lend  Nature  his  earnest  aid,  to  co-operate  with 
her  in  all  the  processes  of  excretion.  Nature 
assists  best  when  she  is  thwarted  least;  when  we 
mind  her  precepts  and  make  our  bodies  her  health 
habitation;  when  she  lives  in  us  and  with  us.  One 
precept  is  to  purge  ourselves  of  impurities  and 
waste  through  various  forms  of  elimination,  and 
the  form  least  appreciated  and  understood  is 
through  the  pores  of  the  skin. 

There  are  various  ways  by  which  perspiration 
can  be  so  induced. 

When  the  weather  is  hot  the  problem  settles 
itself.  A  warm  temperature  and  high  humidity 
act  as  natural  sweat  inducers. 

Page  forty-two 


It  is  for  cool  weather  that  we  devise  ways  and 
means  for  opening  our  skin  ducts  freely  and 
perspiring. 

One  ideal  way  is  to  take  some  vigorous  exercise. 

Another  plan  is  to  get  under  a  heap  of  v/arm 
coverings  after  sipping  a  hot  drink.  Hot  lemonade 
seems  to  be  popularly  associated  with  this  form 
of  sweating. 

Still  another  method  is  to  remain  for  a  time  in 
a  room  heated  to  a  sufficiently  high  temperature 
to  compel  a  sweat. 

The  Turkish  bath  (hot  air,  steam,  etc.)  and  the 
electric-light  bath  are  both  well-known  aids. 

The  ordinary  hot-water  bath  is  perhaps  the 
greatest  perspiration  promoter  of  all.  Fill  the  tub 
with  warm  water  and  then  get  into  it.  After 
that  let  the  hot-water  faucet  continue  to  pour  a 
thin  stream  into  the  tub,  gradually  increasing  the 
temperature  of  your  bath  until  you  are  perspiring 
freely.  Remain  in  it  a  short  time — never  more 
than  twenty  minutes. 

The  next  logical  act  after  inducing  a  perspiration 
by  EUiy  method  is  to  bathe  the  body  and  cool  off. 

Unless  inadvisable  in  your  particular  case,  the 
cool  shower  bath  or  a  plunge  in  cool  water  is  the 
right  after-method  to  pursue. 

It  is,  of  course,  imperative  that  you  guard 
against  catching  cold.  This,  however,  must  not 
prevent  you  from  enjoying  the  advantage  of  a 
daily  sweat  during  the  period  that  you  are  engaged 
in  winning  the  gentle  but  all-important  victory 
over  tobacco. 

Page  forty-three 


The  simplest  way  for  most  persons — and  very 
likely  for  you,  to  open  your  sweat  glands — is  to 
dress  warmly  in  old  clothes,  regardless  of  the  time 
of  year.  Put  on  two  or  three  suits  of  underwear, 
if  possible.  Wrap  yourself  effectually.  Then 
leave  the  house  with  your  cane  or  umbrella  in 
hand  and  walk  briskly  for  a  considerable  distance. 
Rain  or  shine.  Run  some.  Keep  agoing.  Acquire 
as  much  perspiration  as  you  can.  Let  it  soak  your 
clothing.  Let  the  steam  arise  from  your  body. 
Don't  stop  on  the  way.  Learn  to  catch  your 
"second  wind**  by  slowing  down  for  a  while,  then 
speed  up  again.  When  back,  skip  into  the  house 
and  take  a  bath;  then  cool  off  gradually.  Thus 
you  will  have  gained  exercise  plus  the  eliminative 
value  of  a  proper  perspiration,  a  result  that  will 
leave  you  refreshed  and  toned  and  mentally 
stimulated. 

Sclah! 


Page  forty-four 


DICTUM   VIII. 


Choose  your  own  methods  of  physical  activity. 
Try  and  bring  into  action  as  many  muscles  as 
possible.  Exercise  as  much  as  you  can  without 
overdoing  it.  Don't  get  so  fatigued  that  you  are 
weary  the  next  day. 

Walking  is  one  of  the  simplest  and  most  bene- 
ficial forms  of  exercise.  It  should  be  done  briskly, 
with  an  erect  carriage,  even  gait  and  free,  rhythmic 
motion.  The  value  of  it  will  be  enhanced  if  addi- 
tional muscular  work  can  be  found  en  route.  For 
example:  if  you  live  in  the  country  pick  flowers, 
or  even  collect  pebbles  and  toss  them — one  every 
few  rods.  Or  climb  a  bit.  If  you  live  in  the  city 
your  ingenuity  will  assert  itself;  and  remember,  a 
good  gymnasium  is  a  valuable  aid. 

Golf,  tennis,  baseball,  handball,  boxing,  basket- 
ball, bicycling,  rowing,  skating,  throwing  the  medi- 
cine ball,  horseback  riding  and  many  other  forms 
of  sport  are  excellent — all  of  them.  Surely  you 
can  select  some  form  of  physical  recreation  that 
fits  in  with  your  inclinations  and  spare  time. 

Swimming  is  splendid  exercise,  as  it  not  only 
combines   the   benefit  of  the   cool   bath  with   that 

Page  forty-five 


of  physical  action,  but  thoroughly  tests  the  respira- 
tion— that  is,  the  breathing  organs  and  one*s 
powers  of  resistance. 

Moreover,  when  at  some  future  time  after  your 
^  coming  prosperity  has  firmly  established  itself,  you 
are  embarked  on  a  pleasure  cruise  in  your  big 
yacht,  who  knows  but  that  Dame  Fortune  will 
privilege  you  to  play  the  valiant  hero-to-be,  the 
Prince  Charming  to  some  forlorn  but  fascinating 
maiden  who  may  accidentally  fall  into  the  water? 
And  what  a  chump  you  would  be  if  at  such  a 
crucial  time  you  couldn't  swim! 

Automobiling  and  motorcycling  are  not  the  best 
forms  of  exercise.  The  man  who  drives  his 
machine  with  sufficient  speed  to  give  himself  a 
thorough  shaking  does  harm  to  his  nerves.  There 
is  a  sort  of  intoxicating  tension  in  motoring  and 
endeavoring  to  do  so  with  safety,  which  exhilarates 
for  a  time,  but  the  nervous  strain  is  a  keen  one 
and  has  a  reactive  effect  that  cannot  be  termed 
beneficial.  The  autoist,  moving  along  at  a  tem- 
perate pace,  obtains  the  valuable  benefit  of  fresh 
air  when  not  inhaling  the  other  fellow's  dust,  but 
does  not  gain  any  exercise  worth  talking  about. 

Violent  exercise  should  be  avoided,  unless  your 
doctor  has  assured  you  quite  recently  that  tobacco 
has  not  affected  your  heart. 

I  have  brought  a  legion  of  men  **back  to  life** 
at  The  Farm,  and  have  used  walking,  handball, 
medicine  ball,  tennis,  swimming,  woodchopping 
and  farm  work  as  principal  factors  in  exercising. 

Page  forty-six 


It  doesn't  sound  very  inviting  to  talk  about 
cutting  down  or  chopping  up  a  tree  as  part  of  a 
day's  doings,  but  a  remarkable  zest  attaches  to  this 
or  any  other  outdoor  work  when  you  know  it  is 
adding  years  to  your  life. 

A  prominent  citizen  of  Georgia,  who  was  nearly 
**all  in,'*  was  brought  to  The  Farm  by  his  wife 
upon  instructions  of  his  physician.  He  had  always 
employed  a  retinue  of  servants  to  do  his  manual 
work.  When  I  got  him  into  a  pair  of  overalls  and 
a  woolen  shirt,  and  told  him  that  between 
breakfast  and  supper  he  must  move  a  haystack, 
he  felt  insulted.  He  had  never  done  such  work 
in  his  life  and  intimated  that  he  scarcely  liked 
paying  me  for  the  privilege  of  coming  a  thousand 
miles  to  do  this.  The  next  day,  when  I  placed 
him  in  my  woodchopping  squad,  he  rebelled  more 
strenuously  and  sent  a  telegram  to  his  doctor. 
But  he  slept  for  three  or  four  hours  of  each  of 
these  nights,  something  he  hadn't  done  in  a  long 
time,  and  he  soon  realized  that  I  knew  my  business. 

He  learned  how  to  eat  with  relish,  how  to  make 
a  joy  of  work,  how  to  play  leapfrog,  how  to  row 
a  boat,  how  to  do  a  Paul  Jones,  how  to  laugh 
and  how  to  find  gladness  in  the  Great  Outdoors. 
In  a  few  weeks  he  returned  home  in  better  health 
than  he  had  enjoyed  for  years,  with  neither  the 
slightest  inclination  for  tobacco  nor  any  tendency 
toward  indulgence  in  alcohol. 

In  my  city  gymnasium,  cozily  perched  on  the 
roof  of  a  real  skyscraper,  my  patrons — many  of 
them  men  of  substance  and  note — combine  open- 

Page  forty-seven 


air  exercise  with  sport.  Boys  again,  when  at  Mac 
Levy's,  they  soon  learn  to  leave  their  cares  on  the 
street  and  give  their  worldly  responsibilities  a  dose 
of  absent  treatment.  Bad  habits  become  forgotten 
memories   under   the   stimulus   of   such   conditions. 

What  a  sight  it  is — how  entertaining  and 
instructive — to  see  some  of  America's  most  emi- 
nent men  go  through  their  athletic  paces  at  my 
roof  garden,  calmly  oblivious  of  Wall  Street, 
business,  law,  politics — everything  save  the  joy  of 
exercise,  which  is  to  them  the  joy  of  living.  To  my 
city  gymnasium,  and  to  The  Farm,  too,  they  come 
for  inspiration  and  upbuilding;  they  get  both. 
And   so   may  you  if   these  Dictums  are   observed. 

The  amount  of  time  and  the  forcefulness  of 
your  exercise  to  be  carried  out  under  this  Dictum 
depend  upon  the  existent  circumstances.  If,  for 
example,  you  are  a  city  letter-carrier  it  is  obvious 
that  you  are  already  doing  enough  outdoor  exer- 
cise. If,  however,  you  are  a  desk  man,  with  the 
sedentary  habits  of  indoor  brain  workers,  you 
should  lay  down  a  definite  and  reasonable  plan 
of  outdoor  exercise  for  yourself  and  adhere  to  it 
faithfully.  A  total  of  two  hours'  physical  activity 
daily  is  essential  under  this  Dictum. 

A  tendency  you  must  control  is  that  of  post- 
poning the  taking  of  your  exercise.  The  busy 
inside  man  is  too  ready  to  find  an  excuse  as  to 
why  he  should  stay  in  the  office  and  attend  to 
something,  or  go  to  the  theatre  or  a  card  party, 
rather  than  do  his  allotted  exercising  in  the  open. 
Be   a   hero,    a   prompt   hero.      Do   it   now.      You 

Page  forty-eight 


will  afterward  felicitate  yourself  on  maintaining 
your  steadfastness  of  purpose. 

Combine  exercise  with  pleasure.  It  is  one  of 
the  finest  things  to  do.  A  simple  game  of  hand- 
ball, or  hitting  a  sort  of  tennis  ball  against  the  wall, 
as  you  see  boys  doing  in  the  street,  or  against  a 
barn  door,  will  be  prime  sport  when  you  get  an 
ambitious  friend  to  join  you. 

Keep  ever  in  mind  that  you  are  working  toward 
a  BIG  RESULT.  You  are  making  a  great  im- 
provement in  your  whole  life,  and  you  are  gaining 
your  purpose  very  easily.  What  a  joyous  and 
encouraging  achievement!  How  numberless  the 
addicts  who  are  not  so  fortunate.  Who  neglect 
themselves,  their  symptoms  and  their  health. 
Who  have  foolishly  defied  their  doctors*  warnings. 
Who  stubbornly  challenge  every  danger  signal  of 
Nature.  These  poor  devils  are  the  result  of  an 
universal  ailment  which  might  be  termed  Neglec- 
tania  (some  call  it  Americanitis) .  You  can  find 
these  victims  everywhere — in  sanatoriums,  retreats, 
etc.,  trying  to  get  their  "brain  wheels**  right  after 
Demon  Nicotine  has  clogged  them.  Doctors 
tactfully  term  them  neurasthenics  or  some  other 
name  that  sounds  well.  It  is  of  this  helpless  class 
of  unfortunates  that  the  sorrowing  wife  or  mother 
speaks  when  she  tells  the  neighbors  why  her  loved 
one  has  gone  **to  the  country  for  a  rest.** 

Persistence,  alertness,  physical  fitness  and  mental 
ability — these  are  to  be  your  indispensable  capital 
henceforth.  Energy  is  the  dynamo  of  success. 
You  cannot  generate  energy  with  a  sick  and  habit- 

Page  forty-nine 


burdened  body.  If  the  circulatory  system  is 
sluggish  you  cannot  back  up  your  skill,  you 
cannot  drive  your  will  with  aggressive  decision. 
What  is  more,  you  are  helpless  to  cope  with  a 
man  who  has  energy  plus.  You  must  add  to  your 
store  of  energy,  and  nothing  will  do  this  as  well 
as  mild  but  regular  body  training;  in  other 
words,  systematic  all-limb  and  all-organ  exercise. 
Once  you  learn  to  exercise  your  lungs  and  heart,  as 
well  as  your  hands  and  feet,  to  strengthen  your 
physical  forces  and  harness  your  mental  ones,  every 
health  boon  should  come  your  way.  Nerves  will 
work  smoothly,  organs  will  function  properly,  men- 
tal processes  will  operate  logically,  the  glow  of 
ruddy  vigor  will  be  yours.  You  will  laugh  with 
derision  at  the  ghosts  of  your  former  self — ^your 
frail,  pallid  self  of  the  day  when  you  liked  a 
nicotine-soaked  life  and  it  liked  you. 

The  physically  fit  man  is  timely.  He  is  * 'there.'* 
He  knows  when  to  act.  He  has  endurance  to  back 
up  his  action.  The  marvelous  thing  is  that  Nature 
is  everlastingly  restless  in  seeking  to  bring  every 
man  up  to  this  matchless  efficiency.  Men  who  do 
not  train  their  bodies  hear  the  plaintive  cry  of 
Nature  eternally.  Nature  prods  them,  signals  to 
them,  and  finally  smites  them,  to  awaken  them  to 
a  realization  of  their  privilege  to  be  physical  as 
well  as  mental  masters  of  their  business. 

Selah! 


Page  fifty 


DICTUM    IX. 


Be  sure  that  your  bowels  move  daily. 


It  is  imperative  that  you  have  one  intestinal 
movement,  preferably  two,  daily.  If  you  have 
accustomed  yourself  to  using  cathartics  or  laxa- 
tives to  an  extent  that  has  enslaved  you,  now  is 
the  time  to  begin  a  reform.  You  can  train  your 
bowels  to  act  systematically  if  you  are  reasonably 
patient  and  persevering.  Follow  instructions  given 
here.  Of  course  you  needn't  attempt  to  adopt  all 
the  rules;  but  apply  those  which  will  in  their 
concatenation  serve  the  purpose.  You  need  not 
be  surprised  to  find  that  the  drinking  of  eight 
glasses  of  water  or  other  non-alcoholic  beverage 
between  meals  makes  it  now  unnecessary  for  you 
to  think  further  upon  this  important  subject. 

Eat  freely  of  prunes,  apricots,  plums,  figs,  dates, 
green  vegetables  and  whole-meal  bread.  White 
bread  has  a  constipating  tendency.  Bran  is  an 
excellent  alleviative  as  well  as  a  preventive  of 
constipation. 

A  tablespoonful  of  olive  oil  taken  at  each  meal, 
or  oftener,  is  usually  an  excellent  laxative.  Refined 
petroleum  and  Russian  mineral  oil  are  also  highly 
endorsed.      They   are   harmless,    and    the   quantity 

Page  fifty-one 


used  can  be  increased  if  necessary.  The  system 
does  not  assimilate  them,  they  acting  as  mere 
lubricants. 

An  enema  may  be  used.  This  method  is  as  old 
as  the  science  of  therapeutics  itself.  The  ordinary 
household  syringe  will  do.  Of  late  there  has  been 
introduced  into  use  an  article  which  consists  of  a 
rubber  container  (of  the  hot-water-bag  variety), 
from  which  protrudes  a  nozzle  intended  for  rectal 
insertion.  The  weight  of  the  person  seated  upon 
this  forces  the  prescribed  solution  of  warm  water 
and  soap  suds,  or  water  and  turpentine,  contained 
in  the  bag,  into  the  intestinal  canal,  irrigating  it 
and  purging  it  of  ejectable  matter. 

But  don't — don't  acquire  the  enema  habit. 

Learn  how  to  let  Nature,  and  not  artificial  con- 
trivances, do  Nature's  work. 

A  considerable  amount  of  exercise  which  affects 
the  abdomen,  such  as  stooping,  kicking  move- 
ments, etc.,  will  also  tend  to  cause  the  bowels  to 
act. 

Foods  and  drinks  which  tend  to  *'bind**  should 
of  course  be  avoided. 

Abdominal  massage  is  recommended.  Press  the 
fingers  of  the  right  hand  upon  the  left  side  of  the 
lower  abdomen  firmly.  Now  slowly  bring  the 
hand  downward  around  toward  the  right  side  in 
a  circular  movement,  continuing  up  and  around 
to  the  starting  point.  Keep  describing  these 
circles  always  in  the  same  direction  for  a  number 
of  times.  You  can  press  forcibly  without  doing 
injury  or  causing  pain. 

Page  fifty-two 


One  or  more  of  the  above-described  methods 
will  probably  accomplish  the  purpose  without  the 
use  of  strong  drugs  if  you  properly  carry  out  the 
instructions.  However,  this  book  is  purposed  to 
teach  you  definitely  how  to  overcome  the  tobacco 
habit,  and  a  part  of  the  self-treatment  makes 
freedom  of  the  bowels  imperative.  Therefore,  if 
you  have  not  the  facilities,  time  or  desire  to  cul- 
tivate at  once  Nature's  ways  of  keeping  the  bowels 
active,  by  all  means  resort  to  one  of  the  depend- 
able, artificial  laxatives  temporarily  at  least,  for, 
while  following  my  system  to  conquer  the  tobacco 
habit,  you  must  never  go  to  bed  without  having 
had  at  least  one  effectual  movement  during  the 
day. 

If  there  were  no  constipation,  there  would 
probably  not  be  half  as  much  illness  in  the  world. 
Most  of  the  rules  in  this  book  will,  when  faithfully 
followed,  make  toward  a  regularity  of  bowel 
action. 

Selahf 


Page  fifty-three 


DICTUM   X. 


Devote  about  five  minutes  during  the 
busy  part  of  the  day  to  concentrated 
thought  in  silence.  Fix  your  mind  upon 
the  brighter  side  of  your  prospects  in  life. 


Follow  this  Dictum  and  you  will  add  so  remark- 
ably to  your  fitness  for  service  and  to  your  cheer- 
fulness that  friends  and  associates,  and  most 
important — ^yourself — will  be  amazed.  It  will  be 
a  case  of — ^yourself  discovering  yourself.  You 
unearth  your  potential  abilities  and  put  them  to 
use.  When  we  step  aside  from  our  accustomed 
routine  a  few  moments  daily  during  the  period 
that  our  activities  are  at  their  height,  we  simply 
relax  mentally  and  improve  temperamentally. 
Business  is  business,  but  to  cultivate  moments  of 
self-reflection  is  growth — personal  expansion — self- 
education.     It  pleases.      It  edifies.     It  broadensL 

This  rule  applies  with  equal  force,  whether  you 
are  a  farmer  or  lawyer,  a  waiter  or  banker,  a  clerk 
or  mechanic,  a  bootblack  or  a  professional  celebrity 
— or  even  the  President  of  the  United  States.  The 
great  men  of  the  world  practise  similar  rules.  This 
Dictum  is  an  efficiency  aid  for  those  who  toil  with 
their  arms  as  well  as  for  the  legion  who  work  with 

Page  fifty-four 


their  brains,  and  are  gradually  rising  in  the  ranks 
to  the  *'ten-thousand-a-year**  class  or  higher.  So 
jump  into  line,  my  friend. 

Take  counsel  with  yourself.  Every  day,  pre- 
ferably at  a  fixed  hour,  if  possible  during  the 
period  when  you  are  considerably  occupied,  rather 
than  in  the  morning  or  evening,  seek  some  place 
where  you  will  not  be  disturbed  and  devote  about 
five  minutes  to  uninterrupted  thought. 

Endeavor  to  choose  a  quiet  and  reposeful  spot. 
A  business  man  can  generally  retire  unto  himself 
in  the  privacy  of  his  office  or  some  spare  room. 
The  average  worker,  tied  perhaps  to  noisy  sur- 
roundings and  grouped  with  a  host  of  others,  might 
have  to  utilize  a  part  of  his  lunch  hour,  outside, 
in  following  this  Dictum — if  he  can  find  no  place 
of  temporary  retreat  in  the  premises  where  he  is 
employed.  Any  man  who  devotes  five  minutes 
of  his  employer's  time  to  following  this  Dictum 
will  considerably  augment  his  value  to  his 
employer.  Here  is  a  clear  case  where  fair  exchange 
is  no  robbery. 

Having  found  the  needed  privacy,  assume  the 
easiest  position  you  can,  close  your  eyes  gently 
and  in  eiffect  say  this  to  yourself: 

"I  am  gaining  a  victory  over  tobacco.  I  see 
how  the  good  forces  of  Nature  are  overcoming  the 
bad  forces.  Tobacco  damaged  my  health  and 
otherwise  impaired  my  efficiency.  It  was  the 
mistake  of  my  life,  but  now  all  is  well. 

*'Now  I  am  about  to  be  completely  freed  from 
the   curse    of   the   poison.      A   glow   of   health    is 

Page  fifty-five 


coming  upon  me.  My  brain  Is  working  better.  My 
appetite  and  digestion  are  Improved.  My  nerves 
are  becoming  calmer  and  1  shall  enjoy  regular, 
natural  and  restful  sleep. 

"My  future  is  bright.  I  know  there  are  oppor- 
tunities awaiting  me. 

**The  best  thing  that  I  have  done  since  yesterday 
was  (here  mention  something  you  have  done 
which  you  could  not  have  undertaken  with  the 
same  zest  had  you  been  in  the  toils  of  your  old 
habit) . 

*'l  purpose  going  about  my  work  calmly  but 
perseveringly,  with  every  intention  of  succeeding. 
I  will  succeed. 

*'I  will  avoid  every  disposition  to  be  Irritable, 
and  will  endeavor  to  promote  as  much  cheerfulness 
for  others  as  I  can.** 

Of  course,  this  formula  Is  only  intended  to  be 
suggestive  of  the  line  of  thought  you  may  profit- 
ably pursue  during  your  live  minutes  of  privacy. 
It  need  not  be  repeated  verbatim  or  parrotlike. 
The  purpose  of  this  Dictum  Is  distinctly  to  indicate 
how  you  can  enjoy  a  brief  respite  from  the  tedium 
of  your  work,  and  how  you  can  profitably  use 
this  respite — use  it  for  exhilarating  thoughts — and 
no   others.      Use  it  for   cheer,    outlook   and   uplift. 

Banish  any  mood  of  pessimism  that  may  threaten 
you  during  this  communion  with  yourself.  Remem- 
ber, you  are  taking  counsel  with  yourself  to  report 
progress;  you  are  taking  Inventory  of  yourself  to 
help   arrange  your  line   of   action   for   the   coming 

Page  fifty-six 


twenty-four  hours.  Your  every  thought  must  be 
bright,  optimistic,  unselfish  and  positive. 

If  you  cannot  give  yourself  this  brief  isolation 
indoors  try  a  quiet  side  street,  where  you  are  not 
likely  to  encounter  anyone  you  know.  Or  you  can 
do  your  thinking  while  walking.  Given  the  dispo- 
sition, you  will  easily  find  means  for  having  this 
useful,  reflective  word  with  yourself.  When  I  am 
in  the  metropolis  I  usuallj  find  repose  in  a  ham- 
mock in  a  nook  of  my  open-air  roof-garden 
gymnasium.  When  at  The  Farm  a  dozen  quiet 
retreats  suggest  themselves,  where  the  "silent  five** 
and  I  hold  delightful  and  stimulating  converse. 

Bear  in  mind  the  purpose  of  this  Dictum.  It  is 
to  impress  upon  you  the  benefit  of  pausing  in  the 
midst  of  your  working  day  and  briefly  going  over 
accounts  with  Nature,  as  well  as  to  make  those 
accounts  balance  for  the  next  day;  to  show  lesser 
liabilities  and  greater  assets  in  the  "health"  busi- 
ness as  you  recede  farther  and  farther  away  from 
your  tobacco  days. 

You  must  ever  remember  that  you  are  an 
eventual  winner.  It  is  absolutely  imperative  that 
you  succeed.  If  you  should  lapse  and  weakly 
fall  again,  even  temporarily,  into  the  clutches  of 
your  enemy,  you  sacrifice  your  self-respect  and  a 
multitude  of  other  valued  possessions,  the  most 
precious  of  which  is  health. 

But  you  will  not  fall! 

Sdah! 


Page  fifty-seven 


DICTUM    XL 


Retire    and    arise    early. 


One  of  the  grandest  axioms  that  you  ever 
learned  when  a  child  was: 

**Earl}^  to  bed  and  earl"^  to  rise 
Makes  a  man  health}),  "wealth})  and  wise.** 

There  are  several  cogent  reasons  why  I  direct 
you  to  take  up  this  couplet  and  to  sing  it  over  and 
over  again,  figuratively. 

You  have  entered  upon  a  new  epoch  in  your 
life.  The  ejection  of  Demon  Nicotine  is  but  a 
detail. 

Why  are  you  ridding  yourself  of  the  tobacco 
habit? 

Your  answer  is  that  you  possess  so  much  self- 
respect  and  ambition  that  you  wish  to  improve 
your  whole  life. 

Very  well — I  understood  this  even  before  you 
started — so  let's  make  a  splendid  job  of  the  whole 
thing. 

Change  your  mode  of  living  just  a  little.  The 
more  irksome  it  is,  the  more  evidently  you  need 
to  follow  this  Dictum. 

Page  fifty-eight 


Go  to  bed  an  hour  or  two  earlier,  so  that  you 
can  arise  rested  and  refreshed,  while  sluggards  are 
still  sleeping. 

Suppose  you  are  accustomed  to  getting  up  at 
seven  and  to  be  at  your  work  by  eight- thirty. 
Change  your  rising  hour  to  six  (or  five-thirty)  and 
retire  early  enough  to  make  this  change  easy. 
You  must  not  rob  yourself  of  sleep. 

If  you  are  habituated  to  late  hours  it  may  take 
some  self-control  to  get  you  into  bed  on  time,  but 
you  can  manage  it  despite  worldly  allurements. 
The  more  seductive  they  are,  the  moreV  the  reason 
for  tying  yourself  to  your  new  code. 

The  early  morning  finds  you  awake,  shaven, 
dressed  and  thrilled  with  that  exuberant  tingle 
which  comes  with  early  rising.  There's  a  distinctive 
pride  about  it,  too.  Here's  your  time  for  that 
exercise.  Take  it  before  breakfast  and  you'll 
enjoy  the  benefit  all  day — in  years  to  come,  as 
well. 

If  you're  sure  of  having  ample  opportunity  for 
exercise  later  in  the  day,  you  may  turn  your 
thoughts  to  practical  use.  When  I  do  my  writing 
my  spirits  are  attuned  to  the  glorious  symphony  of 
the  happy  morning  birds. 

As  I  pen  these  lines  my  clock  tells  me  it  is  a 
quarter  past  six.  It  was  no  effort  for  me  to  hop 
out  of  bed  more  than  an  hour  ago,  for  I  was  asleep 
by  ten  o'clock  last  night.  Six  or  seven  hours  are 
enough  for  me.  If  Jjou  need  longer  sleep  regulate 
it  consistently. 

Page  fifty-mne 


By  breakfast  time,  an  hour  hence,  I  shall  have 
accomplished  as  much  as  some  will  do  in  the 
major  part  of  a  day.  I  am  undisturbed — my 
thoughts  are  concentrated — and  the  music  of 
Nature  is  wonderfully  inspiring. 

How  does  this  ancient  "early-to-bed*'  rule  apply 
specifically  to  overcoming  the  tobacco  habit? 

It  throttles  the  habit  because  it  bids  you  rest; 
and  repose  is  the  arch  foe  of  almost  any  insatiable 
desire  to  **raise  Cain**  with  yourself.  The  **early- 
to-bed**  practise  conserves  your  energies  and  disci- 
plines them.  That  is  to  say,  it  strengthens  them. 
Strengthen  a  man  naturally  and  you  fit  him  to 
fight  off  a  weakening  appetite  that  is  unnatural. 
You  double  his  efficiency  for  good,  because  you 
multiply  his  power  to  conquer  evil.  Sleep — normal 
and  sufficient — does  this.  Man  replenishes  used-up 
energy  and  replaces  wasted  tissue.  Yes,  Nature's 
most  wonderful  healer  does  even  more.  Every 
time  it  gives  the  tired  muscles  and  nerves  and 
organs  an  adequate  vacation  it  helps  toward  giving 
the  tobacco  craving  a  permanent  layoff. 

So  follow  this  Dictum  and  secure  this  sleep.  It 
will  help  start  you  to  become  the  master  of  your- 
self and  to  stay  so.  Once  you  are  that,  the  lure 
of  tobacco  will  be  nothing  compared  with  the 
attractiveness  of  THE  HIGHER  LIFE. 

When  a  man  comes  back  to  normal  power  and 
force  he  is  clean  and  stays  clean.  It  is  a  work 
that  endures.  Bad  habits  are  not  to  be  overcome 
merely  by  wishing  or  whistling.  It  is  a  gentle  but 
positive  battle  of  manhood  that  has  to  be  fought 

Page  sixty 


in  the  open  field.  Yet  it  is  a  bloodless  and  a 
happy  fight — a  veritable  triumph  of  joy.  If  you 
are  faithful  to  what  is  told  you  in  this  book, 
you  can  be  free. 

You  can  walk  the  streets  and  not  fear  the  world, 
the  flesh  or  the  devil.  You  can  come  back  and 
win  your  spurs  in  the  game  of  life  against  all 
comers. 

It's  up  to  you  I 

Selah! 


Page  sixty-one 


DICTUM   XII. 


Protect  your  eyes. 


From  defective  eyesight  to  tobacco.  Or  from 
tobacco  to  blindness  I  These  seem  like  long  leaps, 
yet  they  are  not  so  far  apart  as  one  might  suppose. 

We  need  not  trouble  ourselves  here  with  the  fact 
that  tobacco  is  a  recognized  cause  of  amaurosis^  a 
total  or  partial  loss  of  sight  without  apparent 
organic  defect — a  form  of  nervous  blindness.  The 
reason  we  need  not  discuss  this,  is  that  by  getting 
rid  of  the  tobacco  addiction  you  are  removing 
yourself   from  the   risk   of  going  blind   through  it. 

So  we  w^ill  deal  with  the  reverse  effect — ^how 
eye  disorders  have  a  tendency  toward  causing 
tobacco  habit;  therefore,  why  the  eyes  should  be 
protected. 

It  is  well  known  to  medical  authorities  who  have 
examined  the  subject  thoroughly  that  where  eye- 
strain and  other  ocular  troubles  exist  there  is  a 
strong  tendency  to  use  something  of  a  drugging 
character,  such  as  alcohol,  opium  or  tobacco. 
Usually  it  is  the  latter.  Even  young  boys  who  have 
eyestrain  show  an  aptitude  toward  the  smoking  of 
cigarettes  in  a  greater  percentage  of  cases  than 
those     whose     eyes     give     them     no     annoyance. 

Page  sixty-two 


Tobacco  is  sought  for  the  double  purpose  of  dulling 
the  pain  or  nervousness  and  for  serving  as  a  solace 
when  the  eyes  cannot  be  used. 

If,  therefore,  your  eyes  are  giving  you  trouble, 
lose  no  time  in  consulting  an  oculist  and  in  follov/- 
ing  his  advice.  He  may  prescribe  glasses;  or  he 
may  surprise  you  by  stating  that  there  is  no  organic 
defect,  and  that  your  remedy  lies  in  a  general 
improvement  in  your  health.  If  so  you  may 
frankly  show  the  specialist  this  volume  and  tell  him 
you  are  already  on  the  job. 

There  are  several  rules  that  you  can  safely  fol- 
low under  any  and  all  circumstances.  These  are 
given  below. 

Avoid  reading  printed  matter  in  fine  type  or  that 
which  is  poorly  printed.  Those  books  or  news- 
papers which  are  issued  in  exceedingly  small  print 
may  be  cheap  in  price,  but  there  is  a  liability  of 
expensive  consequences. 

Do  not  read  steadily  for  long  periods.  Rest 
your  eyes  occasionally.  Close  them  or  look  into 
space. 

In  this  age  of  "reel"  pleasure  remember  not  to 
gaze  too  intently  and  for  too  long  a  succession  of 
minutes  on  the  swiftly  changing  films.  Take  your 
eyes  off  the  **movie"  canvas  occasionally  and  rest 
them  by  gazing  into  blank  space. 

When  the  eyes  have  been  exposed  to  w^ind  or 
dust,  they  may  be  washed  gently  in  diluted  witch- 
hazel  extract  or  a  weak  solution  of  boracic  acid. 
The  latter  is  also  good  for  minor  attacks  of 
inflammation  of  the  eyes. 

Page  sixty-three 


Don't  read  under  the  glare  of  a  light  beaming 
flush  upon  you.  Faulty  and  unscientific  lighting 
has  caused  defective  vision  in  countless  persons, 
who  have  in  consequence  resorted  to  tobacco, 
alcohol  and  other  dangerous  alleviants. 

Practically,  as  well  as  figuratively,  the  eyes  may 
be  considered  the  windows  of  the  soul.  They  are 
man*s  most  needful  sense  organs  and  the  most 
delicate.  It  is  through  them  that  we  gain  our  first 
impression  of  every  manifestation  of  life,  and  form 
our  earliest  mental  judgments  of  people,  things 
and  ideas.  Eyes  are  man's  foundation-educators. 
What  we  learn  through  them  remains  in  our 
memory.  We  visualize  a  landscape,  or  a  sunset, 
or  a  face,  far  more  indelibly  than  books  and 
teachers  and  blackboards  can  impress  them 
upon  us. 

So  let  us  give  our  eyes  proper  and  consistent 
care — ALWAYS.  Let  us  remember  that  eyes, 
unlike  tired  muscles  and  disturbed  nerves,  are  not 
replaceable.  Let  us  subject  our  eyes  to  no 
unreasonable  work,  no  strain,  nor  unhealthy  living 
conditions. 

Let  us  do  all  this  primarily  for  our  eyes'  own 
sake,  but  also  to  aid  in  the  complete  extirpation 
of  the  debilitating  tobacco  habit  so  often  born  of 
some  visual  ailment  or  other. 

Selah! 


Page  sixty-four 


DICTUM    XIII. 


Cultivate     and    persevere    in     cleanly 
personal  habits. 


You  ask  what  have  personal  habits  to  do  with 
the  tobacco  habit?  Very  much.  The  acorn  and 
the  oak  are  not  more  closely  related.  If  your 
every-day  inclinations  are  cleanly,  they  will — 
through  sheer  force  of  suggestion — tend  to  keep 
you  from  tobacco  habit  or  any  other  practice  that 
isn't  cleanly.  The  trend  of  most  manners  in  us  will  be 
the  trend  of  our  life. 

So  in  this  Dictum  I  press  home  to  you  that  trite 
maxim:     **Love  the  clean  and  live  it.** 

It  is  not  for  me  to  suggest  the  good  old  rules 
of  mother  days,  to  clean  your  teeth  daily,  gargle 
your  throat,  comb  your  hair,  brush  your  clothes, 
polish  your  boots,  bathe  frequently.  At  all  times 
preserve  a  neat  deportment. 

But  I  do  ask  you,  in  the  words  of  the  witty  Irish 
sergeant  at  inspection  drill,  to  **Step  forward  from 
the  ranks,  begorra,  and  look  at  yourself." 
'^Appearances  oft  proclaim  the  man**  Are  yours  up 
to  stp.ndard? 

I  know  of  a  case  where  a  man  in  a  business 
office  failed  to  get  promotion  for  two  years  because 

Page  sixty-five 


he  paid  scant  attention  to  his  employer's  hints  to 
the  effect  that  he  should  come  to  the  office  prop- 
erly shaven  and  wearing  a  suit  that  was  pressed 
with  reasonable  frequency. 

Promiscuous  spitting  is  a  disgraceful  habit. 

A  form  of  moral  cleanliness  is  an  avoidance  of 
profanity.  To  take  the  name  of  the  Maker  in 
vain  is  neither  manly;  nor  can  it  be  helpful  to 
one  who  is  striving  for  success. 

You  know  wherein  you  are  deficient  in  cleanli- 
ness of  method  or  manner,  and  it  should  now  be 
your  object  to  attain  the  highest  possible  standard. 

In  doing  so  you  will  find  that  your  tendencies 
turn  against  the  use  of  tobacco,  for  that  is  an 
uncleanly  habit. 

Selah! 


Page  sixty-six 


DICTUM    XIV. 


Endeavor  to  avoid  conditions  and  con* 
tacts  that  tend  to  disturb  you. 


There  are  some  disagreeable  persons  and 
things  which  cannot  be  entirely  avoided.  But  there 
are  many  which  can  be;  and  you  may  save  yourself 
annoyance  by  heeding  this  Dictum. 

You  know  individuals  who  seem  to  enjoy  mak- 
ing you  feel  uncomfortable.  There  are  myriads 
of  this  perverse  species  and  we  are  all  acquainted 
with  some  of  them.  Sometimes  it  is  a  close  relative 
who  ought  to  know  better.  Another  sower  of 
friction  is  the  class  of  so-called  friends  who,  with 
more  persistence  than  tact,  attempt  to  cajole  you 
or  cheerfully  browbeat  you  into  doing  something, 
or  taking  something,  or  going  somewhere,  osten- 
sibly for  your  own  good,  whether  you  want  to  or 
not.     And  you  know  better  all  the  while! 

It  may  strain  a  sentimental  bond  or  two,  but  it 
is  a  duty  to  yourself  to  keep  away  from  persons 
whose  actions,  talk  or  personality  bore  or  irritate 
you  needlessly. 

Shun  also  those  things  and  conditions  which 
touch  your  life,  but  are  not  best  for  you.  For 
example:     don't     tolerate     an     overheated     room 

Page  sixty-seven 


needlessly  when  you  know  that  a  headache  will 
probably  follow.  Don't  eat  what  you  know  is 
not  good  for  you,  or  at  a  late  hour,  merely  to  seem 
polite.  Civility  and  indigestion  are  not  twin 
brothers. 

Do  not  attend  a  festive  function  merely  to  oblige 
somebody,  and  then  embarrass  yourself  all  the 
evening  by  playing  the  "wall  flower.'* 

Do  not  overspeed  your  automobile.  To  do  so  is 
obviously  to  invite  the  risk  of  arrest  and  court 
action  or  serious  accident.  The  joy  exhilaration  is 
temporary,  but  the  injury  may  be  permanent. 

Unselfishness  is  a  fine  virtue,  but  when  it  comes 
to  listening  to  some  kind  of  music  or  attending  an 
entertainment  that  is  uncongenial  to  you,  it  is 
discretion  to  be  a  little  selfish  and  gratify  your 
own  feeling.  At  any  rate,  do  this  as  often  as  you 
consistently  can  without  causing  actual  discord 
from  some  other  direction. 

Avoid  remarks  that  sound  caustic,  sarcastic  or 
overwitty.  Harmless  in  themselves,  they  may 
innocently  precipitate  controversies  more  or  less 
animated.  They  may  react  upon  you  like  a  boom- 
erang.     Sarcasm   is   a   stupid    form    of   cleverness. 

The  saying  * 'Don't  knock;  boost,"  is  a  mighty 
good  one.  If  you  talk  ill  of  others  you  may 
bump  against  a  retroactive  effect.  Whenever  you 
say  good  things  or  keep  discreetly  non-committal 
you  do  yourself  no  harm  and  need  fear  no  dis- 
agreeable after-effect. 

Do  not  enter  into  obligations  or  take  up  burdens 
unless   you   can   see   your   way   through.      Do    not 

Page  sixty-eight 


worry  yourself  with  speculations  in  the  stock 
market  when  investments  are  available  that  offer 
you  security  with  fair  dividends  plus  a  feeling  of 
contentment.  If  you  have  a  limousine  tendency  on 
a  trolley-car  income,  compromise  on  a  bicycle  or 
Shank's  mare.  You  will  be  better  satisfied  in  every 
way  if  you  do. 

I  saw  a  man  yesterday;  he  was  sallow  and 
anemic  looking,  puffing  nervously  on  a  black 
cigar.  We  recognized  each  other  and  had  a  chat 
at  the  street  corner.  He  told  me  how  he  had 
become  a  nervous  wreck  through  business  disaster 
caused  by  endorsing  the  notes  of  a  friend.  This 
friend  had  failed  and  the  burden  was  thrown  upon 
my  narrator.  I  asked  him  a  series  of  questions. 
In  his  answers  he  admitted  that  he  had  needlessly 
done  the  favor  which  had  ultimately  caused  him 
the  trouble.  He  acknowledged  further  that  he  had 
been  worrying  about  the  risk  for  several  weeks 
before  the  crash  came,  and  that  he  had  been 
smoking  heavily  in  an  effort  to  solace  his  nerves. 
Thus  he  had  doubly  injured  himself  by  his 
heedlessness. 

Heated  discussions  on  politics,  religion  and  per- 
sons* characters  or  motives  are  best  avoided.  You 
are  not  a  mollycoddle  but  a  sensible  man  in  follow- 
ing this  precept. 

Adopt  the  course  of  least  resistance  n^hen  ^ou  can 
consistently  do  so.  This  rule  does  not  intimate  that 
you  should  become  a  coward  and  run  away  from 
life*s   duties;    nor   should   you   hesitate   in    carrying 

Page  sixty-nine 


out  any  worth-while  plans  that  you  have  considered 
carefully. 

You  ought  to  conserve  your  energy  for  useful 
ends. 

Do  not  fritter  it  away  in  unnecessarily  doing  or 
inviting  things  that  bring  you  neither  peace  nor 
profit,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  annoy  or  distract 
you,  thereby  lessening  your  powers  for  good. 

Selah! 


Page  seventy 


DICTUM    XV. 


At  the  end  of  two   weeks  you  are  to 
discontinue  the  use  of  tobacco  completely. 


When  two  weeks  have  elapsed  from  the  day 
you  began  faithfully  to  apply  the  Dictums  in  this 
book  you  are  to  cease  completely  the  use  of 
tobacco  in  any  form,  unless  you  have  been  such 
a  heavy  user  of  it  for  many  years  that  you  feel 
you  had  better  wait  another  week — or  even  two 
weeks. 

There  is  to  be  no  compromise  now.  The 
**tapering-ofF*'  idea  will  not  fit  your  case.  It  is 
one  of  those  theories  that  sound  well,  but  too  often 
it  turns  out  to  be  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  Probably 
you  have  tried  it  yourself  and  know  what  a  failure 
it  was.  Anyhow  it  must  not  be  attempted  in  the 
Mac  Levy  System  as  taught  you  here. 

If  there  is  any  craving,  now  that  you  have  com- 
pletely quit  the  use  of  tobacco,  it  will  be  compara- 
tively mild,  and  you  can  easily  tolerate  it  with  the 
absolute  knowledge  that  it  will  become  less  from 
hour  to  hour.  Positively  you  must  not  yield  now. 
Let  Demon  Nicotine  have  his  little  final  kicks. 
They    will    become    weaker    and    weaker.       In    a 

Page  seventy-one 


surprisingly  short  time  ^ou  will  have  no  craving  jvhalso- 
ever — not    the    slightest    trace    of    it.      VICTORY! 

Nevertheless,  do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  put  aside 
the  Dictums,  particularly  those  which  make  for 
better  health  and  for  tranquillity  of  mind.  The 
fact  is,  I  hope  you  will  decide  to  make  some  of 
my  more  important  rules  a  part  of  your  daily  life. 
You  will  ever  afterward  be  glad  if  you  do  so. 

Institute  a  house  cleaning  so  far  as  it  relates  to 
your  tobacco  things.  Cast  away  cigars,  cigarettes, 
snuff,  plug  or  fine  cut — any  and  all.  Throw  out 
the  pipes.  Melt  your  silver  cigarette  case  into  a 
pretty  card   tray  or  an  artistic  chatelaine   for   her. 

Turn  your  pockets  inside  out.  Have  your  clothes 
cleansed  thoroughly.  Get  the  odor  of  tobacco 
out  of  yourself  and  surroundings.  Purify  the 
atmosphere. 

For  you  to  arise  to-morrow  miorning  without 
betraying  even  a  trace  of  tobacco  will  be  a  positive 
relief,  and  rest  assured  you  will  find  it  so. 

You  have  already  begun  to  realize  the  benefit. 
You  now  understand  the  true  inwardness  of  these 
rules  which  at  first  seemed  like  extraneous 
preachments. 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  come  back  into  a  heritage 
of  life  that  is  real,  to  look  into  your  mirror  in  the 
morning  of  each  day  and  behold  there  a  free  man*s 
face.  You  have  been  traveling  toward  the  land  of 
FREEDOM  for  two  weeks;  you  have  crossed  its 
borders  at  last.  I  told  you  what  a  triumph  it 
would  be.  Look  back  over  the  path  you  have  just 
steadily  traveled  and  see.     Look  down — ^way  down 

Page  seventy-two 


into  the  pit  out  of  which  you  rose.  What  a  long 
stretch  into  almost  fathomless  dark.  The  mire 
of  your  former  desolation  is  at  the  bottom  of  it. 
What  a  hideous  nightmare  it  was.  You  shudder 
as  you  think  of  it.  What  slavery  and  wretchedness 
all  the  while  you  were  there.  But  that's  rapidly 
passing.      You*re  enfranchised  already. 

No — I  am  not  inconsistent.  You  were  still 
using  tobacco  up  to  to-day,  but  the  Dictums  have 
been  beating  it  out,  and  Demon  Nicotine  is  so 
weakened  in  power,  while  you  are  so  much 
strengthened,  that  the  ultimate  and  complete  vic- 
tory is  not  a  matter  of  doubt.      It  is  a  certainty. 

It  seems  most  wonderful  how  you  have  been 
escaping  from  slavery  by  such  a  simple  route. 
Yet  you  did.  I  told  you  that  you  could  and  you 
believed.  Now  you  are  here,  a  scot-free  man, 
Isn*t  it  fine?  Isn't  it  refreshing?  Stick!  Stay 
where  you  are.  Hold  fast!  Of  course  you  will. 
The  world  is  now  a  new  place  to  you. 

A  new  epoch  began  in  ^our  life  two  weeJ^s  ago^  "When 
you  started  to  follow  the  Mac  Levp  Sy^stem, 

Behold  now  your  increased  power  to  do  things 
as  compared  with  the  old  conditions.  Not  so  much 
trouble  now  for  you  to  go  through  a  day's  work. 
You  no  longer  dread  to  see  the  morning  dawn. 
You  feel  in  finer  fettle.  You  more  clearly  recog- 
nize your  manhood.  You  will  soon  like  hard, 
knotty  and  twisted  problems,  for  you  will  have  a 
heart  for  them. 

Your  body  tingles  with  increasing  vigor — ^it  wants 
to  get  into  the  fray  of  the  day's  battle. 

Page  seventy-three 


Your  feet  are  on  the  earth,  good  and  solid. 
You  have  a  feeling  of  confidence,  you  are  no 
longer  dodging  hard  places — rather,  you  are  look- 
ing for  them. 

Your  whole  being  is  alive  with  energy  and  will 
soon  be  ready  to  drive  with  a  will  at  all 
propositions. 

You  have  frequently  used  the  jocular  remark: 
**This  is  the  life.'*  At  last  it  surges  to  your  lips 
in  real  earnest.  It  speaks  with  the  tongue  of 
Truth:     *THIS  IS  THE  LIFE!** 

Continue  to  follow  all  the  Dictums  except  the 
second. 

Hit  the  high  spots  of  cheerfulness.  Scatter 
friendly  words  where  they  will  be  appreciated. 
Take  what  would  have  been  to-day*s  tobacco 
money,  buy  apples  and  hand  them  to  those  who 
look  hungry.  Or  give  candy  to  the  children.  Earn 
smiles  by  deserving  them.  Be  happy  because  you 
know  how  much  better  life  is  becoming  for  you 
every  hour  of  every  day. 

Selah! 


Page  seventy-four 


DICTUM    XVI. 


As  a  stimulant,  take  a  cool  bath  foU 
lowed  by  a  brisk  rubbing.  As  a  sedative, 
take  a  warm  bath. 


This  Dictum  needs  no  special  elaboration. 
Neither  are  you  expected  to  follow  it  according 
to  any  specific  time  schedule. 

Keep  in  mind  that  if  you  have  been  accustomed 
to  gain  stimulation  through  your  pipe,  cigarette  or 
other  form  of  tobacco,  you  may  satisfactorily 
employ  a  smart  ablution — ^plunge  or  shower — ^in 
cool  water  as  a  safe  and  sane  substitute. 

Warm  water  is  soothing  to  the  nerves.  It 
induces  repose.  When  you  feel  that  you  need 
your  favorite  smoke  to  quiet  your  nerves,  par- 
ticularly when  you  wish  to  invite  tranquil  sleep, 
let  warm  water  serve  the  purpose  instead. 

Don't  become  facetious  yet,  dear  friend.  It 
would  hardly  be  good  form  to  jump  into  a  nearby 
fountain  merely  because  you  feel  mentally  sluggish 
while  attending  to  your  day's  business.  Nor  would 
it  be  seemly  for  you  to  halt  an  important  interview, 
to  take  a  warm  bath  merely  because  the  subject 
under  discussion  tends  to  make  you  nervous. 

Page  seventy-five 


It  is  by  no  means  imperative  that  a  regulation 
bathtub  be  employed  to  obtain  the  tonic  or  quiet- 
ing effect  of  water.  There  are  numerous  devotees 
of  hydrotherapy  who  favor  what  is  termed  the 
sitz  bath.  This  is  taken  by  sitting  in  a  basin  of 
water,  which  need  be  only  deep  enough  to  reach 
the  lower  part  of  the  spine.  The  bath  may  be 
taken  in  warm  water  or  cool  water,  according  to 
the  effect  desired. 

A  stream  of  cool  water  through  a  hose,  directed 
upon  the  back,  over  the  course  of  the  spine,  is 
another  form  of  natural  tonic  that  1  employ  with 
success.  In  tobacco  cases  I  have  secured  very  satis- 
fying results,  and  if  you  can  employ  a  similar  thing 
(it  is  known  as  a  Scotch  douche)  I  advise  you  to 
do  so.  It  is  highly  recommended  by  many  eminent 
therapeutists. 

Selah! 


Page  seventy-six 


DICTUM    XVII. 


To   pacify   an    occasional  false    craving 
for  tobacco,  use  a  harmless  substitute. 


As  a  matter  of  fact,  you  should  have  no  further 
craving  for  tobacco  after  you  have  passed  the 
fifteenth  Dictum. 

You  may  have  a  little  restlessness  of  the  nerves 
(particularly  the  pneumogastric  nervous  system, 
as  it  is  known),  influencing  the  stomach  and  throat. 
There  might  be  a  temporary  tendency  to  sleep- 
lessness for  a  brief  period.  If  you  have  been  a 
strenuous  user  of  tobacco,  you  may  feel  a  gnawing 
sensation;  or  you  may  have  some  of  that  "heart- 
burn** already  referred  to. 

Don't  be  foolish — these  are  not  demands  for 
tobacco.  They  are  the  last  vestiges  of  the  bad 
effects  of  tobacco;  and  you  must  remember  that 
while  you  may  think  further  indulgence  in  tobacco 
might  calm  you,  it  would  only  aggravate  the 
irritation. 

The  delicate  organs  of  your  body  have  been 
needing  peace  for  years.  They  are  part  of  your 
hitherto  enslaved  physique;  and  they  must  be  kept 
free  from  insidious  attack,  so  that  they  may  recover 
and  remain  free  thereafter. 

Page  seventy-seven 


To  use  tobacco  now  for  the  purpose  of  quieting 
what  is  actually  a  stomach  disorder  would  be  as 
improper  as  if  you  were  to  encounter  some  poor 
fellow  who  has  manfully  fought  the  liquor  habit 
and  give  him  a  pint  of  whiskey  when  he  appeals 
to  you  for  food  and  rest.  You  wouldn't  be  so 
mean  and  cowardly  as  to  put  the  reformed  drunk- 
ard back  into  his  old  life  by  making  him  drink 
whiskey  instead  of  a  bowl  of  nourishing,  stimulat- 
ing soup.  Ergo;  don*t  be  mean  to  your  own  vital 
organs.  Give  them  what  they  need;  not  what  you 
think  they  ask  for. 

You  will  not  need  to  bother  very  much  with 
your  inner  man.  The  Dictums  that  you  are  so 
faithfully  following — particularly  the  rules  per- 
taining to  what  and  how  you  eat  and  drink — ^will 
probably  suffice. 

One  of  the  best  substitutes  that  I  know  is 
chamomile  tea — the  kind  you  used  to  get  when 
you  were  a  small  child.  You  need  not  be  ashamed 
to  use  it  now.  Obtain  the  dried  chamomile 
flowers  and  make  a  diluted  decoction,  the  same 
as  if  you  were  preparing  a  cup  of  ordinary  tea. 
You'll  not  need  to  sweeten  it  and  add  milk  now, 
however.  This  tea  gives  relief  quickly  and  is 
good  for  various  forms  of  nervousness.  It  is 
perfectly  harmless  when  used  in  the  ordinary  way, 
and  I  know  of  no  medical  work  or  case  wherein 
any  drug-habit  tendency  is  attributed  to  it. 

Crystallized  ginger  will  serve  the  twofold  pur- 
pose of  giving  you  a  satisfying  sense  of  warmth 
and   imparting   an   agreeable   tang   to   your   palate. 

Page  seventy-eight 


A  little  box  of  this  preserved  ginger  can  be  easily 
carried  in  your  pocket.  It  would  be  quite  in  order 
to  nibble  at  it  when  you  are  in  the  company  of 
others  who  are  using  tobacco.  On  such  an  occa- 
sion you  might  be  pressed  to  have  a  cigar  or 
cigarette.  This  invitation  should  meet  with  a 
gentle  but  firm  refusal,  accompanied  by  another 
nip  of  ginger,  to  ward  off  any  tendency  to  look 
wistfully  upon  your  old  enemy. 

If  you  are  dining  with  friends,  and  feel  a  mild 
longing  for  a  cigar  or  cigarette  (undoubtedly  due 
to  the  association  of  ideas  rather  than  to  any 
stomachic  condition),  get  an  oyster  on  the  half 
shell,  sprinkle  it  with  plenty  of  salt  and  paprika 
and  swallow.  The  "bite'*  will  remove  your  crav- 
ing and  will  also  switch  your  mind  to  something 
else.  If  the  dinner  has  proceeded  beyond  oysters, 
you  will  obtain  the  same  satisfying  effect  with  a 
piece  of  cheese  or  bread  similarly  seasoned  with 
condiments. 

In  a  way  you  will  recognize  in  this  feeling  the 
fag  end  of  an  automatic  habit  of  doing  something 
with  your  fingers  and  jaws,  rather  than  a  craving 
for  anything  in  particular.  In  the  beginning  of 
your  freedom,  therefore,  humor  these  impulses  of 
the  motor  nerves — but  do  nothing  injurious.  You 
will  soon  be  self-possessed  again. 

There  are  several  roots  that  can  be  chewed  with 
satisfaction  to  remove  a  gnawing  feeling.  Their 
flavor  has  as  much  snap  and  gives  as  much  solace 
as  tobacco.  They  are,  of  course,  quite  harmless, 
and,  withal,  have  a  beneficial  effect  therapeutically. 

Page  seventy-nine 


Among  them  may  be  mentioned  gentian,  sassafras, 
lovage,  licorice,  flag  and  marshmallow.  Gentian 
being  the  sharpest  in  taste  (and  a  tonic  as  well), 
is  likely  to  appease  your  palate  and  stomach  best, 
if   you   have   been    addicted    to    chewing    tobacco. 

In  youthful  days  did  you  ever  use  dried  sweet 
fern  in  * 'cigarettes'*  or  in  a  clean  clay  pipe  when 
you  were  pretending  to  be  a  "real  man"?  (What 
a  travesty  on  manhood!)  You  can  safely  return 
to  that  harmless  plant  now  if  you  ever  imagine  that 
Demon  Nicotine  is  slyly  beckoning  you  back  into 
his  clutches. 

Some  physicians  advocate  as  a  temporary  sub- 
stitute the  smoking  of  dry  tea  in  a  clean  pipe. 
This  is  harmless  enough  within  reasonable  limita- 
tions, but  I  am  disposed  to  look  upon  it  with  dis- 
favor because  of  the  psychological  suggestion  of 
keeping  a  pipe  handy. 

If  you  miss  your  pipe,  cigar  or  cigarette,  chiefly 
because  you  have  been  accustomed  to  their  pres- 
ence in  your  mouth,  remember  that  this  nostalgia 
won't  last.  It  is  easy  enough  to  wean  yourself  of 
the  feeling  by  a  slight  mental  effort;  and  this  can 
be  aided  by  your  carrying  a  cork,  a  small  stick, 
a  straw  or  something  else  of  this  kind  in  the  mouth. 

Chewing  gum  is  a  safe  tobacco  substitute  if  used 
to  a  moderate  extent.  A  gum  with  a  tart  flavor 
can  soon  prove  itself  as  satisfying  as  a  quid  of 
tobacco  or  a  strong  cigar  to  the  man  who  has 
been  faithfully  following  the  Dictums  in  this  book. 

Chewing  gum  has  a  legitimate  remedial  purpose 
to  fulfil.     According  to  excellent  medical  authority. 

Page  eighty 


digestion  is  aided  by  the  chewing  of  gum.  It  is 
also  said  to  be  helpful  in  reducing  nervousness  and 
in  promoting  an  optimistic  turn  of  mind. 

You  may  detest  the  sight  of  a  gum-chewing 
individual,  but  that  person  is  never  sullen.  In  the 
Great  War  it  has  been  proved  that  chewing  gum  is 
a  satisfactory  substitute  for  tobacco,  and  a  goodly 
percentage  of  soldiers  have  learned  to  prefer  it, 
although  they  never  had  any  intention  of  combat- 
ing the  tobacco  habit. 

There  need  be  no  fear  that  the  gum  habit  will 
get  you  in  its  clutches  like  tobacco  addiction.  Even 
if  you  were  allowing  yourself  to  become  a  public 
eyesore  by  chewing  gum  incessantly  in  the  pres- 
ence of  others,  ask  yourself  if  you  would  actually 
appear  any  worse  than  if  you  were  smoking  or 
chewing  tobacco.  So  don't  worry  about  the 
esthetic  phases  of  gum  chewing. 

The  eating  of  candy  is  a  good  enough  substitute 
for  tobacco.  At  The  Farm  chocolate  cigarettes 
are  handed  out  to  those  who  ask  for  them — and  I 
frequently  have  to  order  a  fresh  supply. 

If  you  were  habituated  to  chewing,  it  required 
the  more  or  less  incessant  activity  of  your  jaws 
while  you  were  awake.  There's  no  reason  why 
you  need  stop  this  customary  exercise  suddenly. 
For  the  present  resort  to  chewing  the  roots  men- 
tioned, or  gum. 

It  is  utterly  foolish  to  spit  out  one  of  the  inno- 
cent substitutes  here  recommended  and  declare 
that  it  has  no  taste,  that  you  don't  like  it,  or  some 
other   similar   remark.      To   begin   with,    you   must 

Page  eighty-one 


acquire  the  new  taste.  Your  palate  has  been 
abused  by  tobacco  and  its  condition  is  coming 
back  to  normal.  You  will  soon  find  that  the 
tingle  of  tobacco  is  being  adequately  replaced,  and 
eventually  there  will  be  no  call  for  it  or  anything 
like  it.  You  will  be  fully  occupied  with  working, 
playing,  eating,  thinking — living  a  life  worth  living. 

The  necessity  for  these  makeshifts  will  become 
less  and  less.  That's  certain.  In  a  few  weeks,  at 
the  longest,  they  will  join  tobacco  as  a  memory 
of  the  past. 

Selah! 


Page  eighty-two 


DICTUM   XVIII. 


//  you  have  a  tendency  to  sleeplessness 
do  not  take  drugs.  Combat  it  by  natural 
means. 


When  I  first  met  Margaret  Maguire  I  couldn't 
converse  with  her  intelligently,  for  Maggie  had  just 
come  from  the  Old  Country,  and  I  first  saw  the 
light  of  day  in  the  New  Country.  We  made  the 
start — ^she  as  my  nurse  and  I  as  her  troublesome 
charge. 

Maggie  is  with  me  yet.  She  saw  me  reach  man- 
hood, and  nowadays  she  is  watching  my  children 
grow.  It  is  important  in  this  chapter  to  say  also 
that  Maggie  has  been  the  good  friend  of  a  veritable 
legion  of  guests  at  The  Farm,  most  of  whom  have 
come  with  a  "peck  of  troubles'*  and  gone  away 
with  a  "bushel"  of  health,  serenity  and  power  to 
begin  newer  and  finer  careers.  Many  of  them  /^ 
also  carry  away  a  golden  treasure  of  "do's**  and 
**don*ts**  born  of  a  life  rich  in  experiences,  issued 
from  the  wise  braiin  of  sympathetic  Maggie. 

A  fine,  unerring  observer  is  Maggie.  She  can 
foretell  to-morrow's  weather  better  than  most  pro- 
fessional experts,  and  when  prognosticating  about 

Page  eighty-three 


the  coming  of  spring,  even  the  traditional  ground- 
hog had  better  look  to  his  laurels. 

But  it  is  on  the  question  of  sleep — other  people's 
sleep — that  Maggie  waxes  eloquent.  She  is  author- 
ity for  the  statement  that  when  an  infant  I  slept 
an  average  of  eighteen  hours  per  day.  I  needed 
every  minute  of  it,  she  assures  me.  Having 
observed  a  like  sleeping  tendency  in  my  two 
children,  and  after  discussing  the  matter  with  many 
a  medical  man,  I  am  certain  we  may  accept  it  as 
a  general  rule  that  babies  need  more  sleep  than 
children,  and  young  folks  require  more  sleep  than 
adults. 

Maggie  says  that  while  the  youngsters  need  their 
sleep  in  long  stretches,  the  older  folk  do  not  seem 
to  awciken  (that's  Maggie's  little  pun)  to  the  fact 
that  they  can  get  along  with  considerably  less. 
The  notion  seems  to  be  that  one  should  sleep  from 
the  time  of  going  to  bed — whenever  that  may  be — 
until  the  first  call  for  breakfast  has  been  sounded. 
Personally,  I  average  going  to  bed  at  half-past 
ten  o'clock  and  am  up  between  four  and  five, 
always  having  a  plenitude  of  sleep.  The  normal 
limit  before  the  age  of  thirty  and  after  reaching 
sixty  has  been  found  to  be  eight  hours;  between 
thirty  and  sixty,  seven  hours — or  six.  Circum- 
stances alter  cases.  You  may  need  a  little  more  or 
less. 

Yet  there  are  those  who  imagine  something  is 
decidedly  wrong  if  they  Crawl  into  bed  about  mid- 
night and  do  not  sleep  straight  through  to  seven 
or  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning.     If  they  happen 

Page  eighty-four 


to  lose  an  hour  or  so  during  the  night  they  worry 
about  it.  In  the  morning  they  interpret  a  Httle 
drowsiness  as  a  bad  sign,  and  go  around  telling 
their  tale  of  woe  about  insomnia  to  those  who  will 
give  them  maudlin  sympathy. 

The  fact  is  that,  generally  speaking,  they  are 
getting  sleep  enough,  and  they  are  peeved  because 
they  cannot  impose  upon  Nature. 

Coming  to  your  case  now,  friend — ^how  does 
your  bed  carry  you  through  the  night? 

Are  you  one  of  those  who  imagine  you  must  lull 
yourself  to  sleep  with  a  smoke  and  then  awaken 
in  the  night  because  you  need  another  smoke — or 
a  chew? 

Well,  let's  quit  that  notion  right  now.  Eliminate 
tobacco  from  your  mind  as  you  have  from  your 
physical  life. 

If  you  cannot  fall  asleep,  or  stay  so,  as  readily 
as  you  might,  by  drugging  yourself  with  nicotine, 
just  be  as  calm  as  you  can  and  never  mind  if  you 
stay  awake.  Think  negatively  for  a  while — that 
is,  relax.  Invite  a  sense  of  oblivion.  Don't  worry 
if  you  are  awake  all  night.  Don't  be  alarmed  if 
you  remain  awake  another  full  night — or  yet  a 
third.  You'll  not  have  a  fit  nor  will  you  go  crazy. 
Nature  will  triumph  over  Demon  Nicotine  and 
you'll   make  up   for   all   the   sleep   you  have   lost. 

Or,  on  the  other  hand,  you  may  retire  with  your 
thinking  powers  normally  clear,  but  your  brain  so 
surcharged  with  ideas  that  you  find  yourself  in 
the  quiet  dead  of  night  cogitating — revolving 
thoughts,  engaged  in  a  wonderful  feast  of  mental 

Page  eighty-five 


acrobatics  and  air-castle  building.  Don*t  be 
alarmed.  It's  not  a  serious  symptom.  The  brain, 
like  the  individual,  sometimes  will  flout  union- 
labor  rules  and  work  overtime.  But  rest  will  come 
surely,  pleasurably,  sufficiently — if  you  are  living 
right. 

Artificial  aids  to  sleep — the  safe  kind — are 
several.     Here  are  some: 

A  short  brisk  walk  before  going  to  bed. 

A  warm  bath. 

A  hot-water  bottle  placed  at  the  feet  after 
retiring. 

Reading  of  light  literature. 

A  cup  or  two  of  chamomile  tea. 

A  glass  of  buttermilk. 

Soft  and  sweet  music. 

Fresh  air  in  plenty.  Try  sleeping  outdoors  or 
on  the  sleeping  porch. 

Deep  breathing. 

Light  exercises. 

If  you  have  a  hankering  for  it,  a  nibble  or  two 
of  food  before  retiring,  with  the  fixed  mental 
reservation  not  to  eat  a  hearty  meal  too  close  to 
bedtime. 

Thinking  over  the  pleasant  episodes  of  your 
career. 

Thinking  of  what  you  will  do  when  you  settle 
down  after  your  coming  prosperity. 

Silently  repeating:  **I  sleep — I  sleep,**  as  if 
guided  by  the  slow  swinging  of  a  pendulum. 

Page  eighty-six 


Picturing  in  your  own  mind  a  great  number  of 
sheep  hopping  one  at  a  time  over  a  hedge.  Count 
them. 

Imagining  a  flock  of  graceful  swans  serenely 
gliding  in  single  file  across  peaceful  waters.  Count 
them  as  they  slowly  pass  you. 

And  before  you  tumble  into  the  Land  of  Nod 
remember  Maggie's  sage  remark — that  you  are 
doubtless  expecting  too  much  sleep  at  your  age 
anyway. 

Sdahf 


Page  eighty-seven 


DICTUM   XIX. 


'This  above  all:  to  thine  own  self  be  true, 
And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day. 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man" 


Hold  fast  to  your  purpose.  It  will  grow  easier 
the  longer  you  persist  in  carrying  out  your  pro- 
gram as  set  forth  in  the  foregoing  Dictums. 

Do  not  be  evasive  when  a  friend  offers  you  a 
cigar  or  cigarette.  Express  your  thanks  and  tell 
him  bluntly  that  you  have  quit  tobacco  to  benefit 
your  health  and  mentality.  Mention  casually  how 
much  better  you  feel.  Let  your  stand  be  so  plain 
that  he  will  respect  and  admire  your  action.  He 
is  bound  to  do  so  if  he  is  a  genuine  friend.  If 
he  is  not — why  worry? 

You  have  now  acquired  the  moral  courage  to 
make  a  stand  in  the  presence  of  temptation.  You 
will  not  be  such  a  weakling  as  to  show  the  white 
feather  and  permit  yourself  to  be  coaxed  and 
cajoled  by  unthinking  friends  into  yielding  to  the 
seductions  of  an  old  enemy. 

It  is  important  that  you  avoid  a  tobacco  environ- 
ment during  the  early  days  of  the  period  that  you 
are  holding  your  enemy  at  bay,  lest  thoughtlessness 
on   your  part   shall   encourage   him   to   the   attack 

Page  eighty-eight 


again.  All  else  being  equal,  it  is  better  to  frequent 
places  where  tobacco  is  not  used.  By  submitting 
yourself  to  the  atmosphere  of  refinement  you  will 
be  doing  a  thing  both  sensible  and  lastingly 
beneficial. 

In  a  railroad  train  avoid  the  smoking  section, 
where  the  air  is  polluted  by  tobacco  stench.  Other 
men's  smoke  is  physically  harmful,  too,  by  reason 
of  the  poisons  in  that  smoke  filling  the  air. 

To  be  a  moral  hero  is  as  noble  as  to  be  a 
physical  hero.  Even  if  you  are  not  applauded  by 
the  crowd,  you  will  receive  ample  reward  from 
Nature.  And,  what  is  more,  you  will  have  earned 
the  unstinted  approbation  of  your  self-respect. 
In  the  diadem  of  character  no  jewel  flames  brighter  than 
self-respect. 

Everybody  detests  a  moral  coward,  and  if  you 
were  to  allow  yourself  to  become  one  now,  on  your 
head  would  fall  both  the  blame  and  the  detesta- 
tion. You  would  have  a  mighty  poor  opinion  of 
yourself. 

Remember,  this  steering  clear  of  tobacco  sur- 
roundings isn't  just  a  trick  test  to  see  what  you 
can  do  for  the  sake  of  idle  satisfaction;  on  the 
contrary,  it  represents  your  aim  to  be  true  to 
yourself,  to  lift  your  habits  into  the  sunlight  and 
the  health  light. 

This  is  your  oppr>rtunity  to  make  a  memorable 
improvement  in  your  life.  Do  not  let  your  foot 
slip. 

Selah! 

Page  eighty-nine 


DICTUM   XX. 


Seek  recreation  of  the  kind  that  suits 
you  best,  and  which  is  consistent  with 
maintaining  good  health.  Take  pride  in 
your  renovated  mental  and  sentimental 
atmosphere. 


Give  ample  thought  to  that  part  of  your  life 
which  includes  releixation,  recreation  and  content- 
ment. 

Let  good-cheer  thoughts  prevail. 

Don't  regret  the  past;  be  glad  of  the  glorious 
future  that's  in  store  for  you. 

What  I  say  here  holds  good  from  the  hour  that 
you  begin  to  combat  tobacco  habit — even  while 
using  the  **weed**  and  going  through  the  process 
of  preparedness  prior  to  quitting  its  use  absolutely. 

After  you  have  adopted  Dictum  XV.  the  bene- 
fits will  become  more  strongly  obvious  from  day 
to  day. 

Your  Health  is  fast  improving.  Your  body  thrills 
with  better  blood.  You  have  more  vigor  and 
strength. 

The  old  lassitude  is  going — that  feeling  of  ex- 
haustion, that  depression,  that  stupor,  that  **all-in'* 

Page  ninety 


sensation.  You  have  a  new  joy  of  conscious  satis- 
faction in  your  bodily  functions,  an  experience  you 
have  not  known  for  years.  While  before  you 
were  a  cringing  slave,  you  are  now  a  prince  coming 
back  into  your  own.  Your  system  feels  wholesome, 
inside  and  outside;  you  know  anew — or  perhaps 
for  the  first  timie — what  life  really  means. 

Your  digestion  has  been  growing  better  all  the 
while.  Your  stomach  is  no  longer  rebellious,  but 
works  peacefully.  Your  liver  is  serving  you  more 
normally.  Your  kidneys  are  doing  better.  Your 
skin  is  clearing  of  the  tinge  of  the  old  habit.  It 
is  simply  a  miracle  the  way  you  feel.  That  is  the 
way  Nature  intended  you  should  always  feel.  It 
makes  life  worth  living  to  be  imbued  with  the 
zest  of  freedom  and  power. 

What  about  that  mind  of  yours?  Compare  how 
it  serves  you  now  with  the  confused,  muddled, 
uncertain,  erratic  way  it  used  to  work — that  mind 
which  is  now  becoming  as  steady  as  an  up-to-date 
hall  clock.  To-day  it  works  more  freely,  gladly 
and  strongly.  It  seems  like  a  new  piece  of  mecha- 
nism when  you  think  of  the  old  way  it  used  to 
"rattle"  and  "skid"  and  fail  you.  And  I  say  this 
with  the  knowledge  that  you  are  only  beginning 
to  conquer  the  tobacco  habit. 

The  change  is  so  great  you  can  hardly  believe 
yourself.  But  it  is  real — it  will  last,  too,  and  it 
means  that  you  are  on  earth  again. 

You  have  less  qualms  about  the  business.  You 
can  think  and  drive  things  ahead  better  already. 
You  are  getting  away  from  the  ragged  edge.     You 

Page  ninety-one 


are  hounded  less  and  less  by  imagined  fears.  You 
need  not  wrestle  any  more  with  the  nightmares  of 
nervous  doubts.      YOU  KNOW  where  you  stand. 

When  your  pay  envelope  comes  you  need  no 
longer  apprehend  that  you  may  find  a  note  in  it 
to  the  effect  that  your  services  are  no  longer 
needed.  You  are  now  mentally  more  efficient  and 
unafraid.     Every  day  finds  you  in  better  form. 

This  fine  condition  of  mind  is  now  becoming  a 
fact  with  you;  but  it  never  was  even  possible  while 
you  were  under  the  influence  of  the  tobacco  habit. 
This  is  the  big  thing  in  coming  back.  You  are 
now  a  man  with  a  mind. 

A  wonderful  thing  is  your  conscience.  It  feels 
very  much  easier.  You  are  already  holding  your- 
self in  higher  esteem.  You  are  beginning  to  see 
the  finer  side  of  life. 

Your  ambition  is  beginning  to  assert  itself.  You 
have  always  wanted  to  do  bigger  things.  You 
would  like  to  make  a  record.  And  you  will  do 
it  if  you  persevere. 

Watch  yourself  closely.  Pay  attention  to  even 
the  little  things. 

Gambling  is  not  a  good  recreation.  It  cannot 
Steer  you  in  the  right  direction.  In  fact,  there  is 
no  real  satisfaction  in  doing  anything  for  pleasure 
which  has  the  taint  of  immorality.  There  is  almost 
invariably  a  disagreeable  "come  back**  of  some 
kind.  The  world  is  full  of  wholesome  means  of 
recreation — those  pleasures  which  make  for  better 
health  combined  with  respectability. 

Page  ninety-two 


Let  this  good  work  go  on.  Keep  m  the  com- 
pany of  the  right  kind.  You  know  better  than 
anyone  else  the  persons  whom  you  can  trust. 

No  man  ever  became  great  through  his  own 
unciided  efforts.  Every  man  who  has  done  big 
things  has  relied  more  upon  others  than  the  world 
knows.  Keep  this  ever  in  mind  and  make  your 
connections  accordingly.  Why  not  seek  recreation 
where  you  will  meet  those  who  can  help  you  in 
your  upward  progress? 

I  wouldn't  like  to  think  (presuming  you  are  a 
man)  that  you  scorn  the  influence  of  womankind; 
but  if  so  you  must  reform.  You  cannot  continue 
blithely  through  life  without  the  smiles,  the  soft 
encouraging  voice  and  the  intelligent  comradeship 
that  emanate  from  the  gentler  sex.  Those  men 
who  try  to  do  without  such  atmosphere  and  such 
inspiration  are  the  mean  and  selfish  ones;  and  the 
end  of  their  lives  is  spent  in  vain  regret. 

Don't  wait  until  people  are  dead  before  saying 
kind  and  gracious  things  about  them.  Strew  their 
living  path  with  roses.  I  recall  a  sweet  little  quatrain 
from  my  schoolboy  days  which  read  something 
like  this: 

A  little  word  in  kindness  spoken, 

A  sundrop  or  a  cheer. 
Has  solaced  man^  a  heart  once  broken 
And  made  a  friend ,  sincere. 

Make  the  sentiment  of  this  simple  little  verse 
one  of  your  every-day  mottoes.  Be  considerate. 
Be  kind.  Gild  your  life  and  the  lives  of  those 
that  touch  yours  with  the  radiance  of  heart  good- 

Page  ninety-three 


ness.  Study  how  you  can  compliment  those  about 
you  who  do  worthy  things.  Watch  their  smiles 
of  appreciation  2ind  consider  how  good  you  feel 
in  having  added  another  ray  of  sunshine  to  some- 
body's life. 

Don't  use  flattery;  that  is  foolish  and  needless — 
sometimes  it  reacts  harmfully.  Employ  genuine  praise. 
Use  it  consistently,  intelligently,  discreetly.  Prac- 
tise emitting  the  magnetic  rays  of  cheerfulness. 
Use  them  when  talking  and  writing  and  toiling. 
Send  gladsome  soul  vibrations  everywhere — to 
every  heart.  The  heart  doesnt  throb  that  isnt  thirsting 
for  sincerel})  l^ind  and  encouraging  words* 

Incidentally,  when  this  book  has  served  its  pur- 
pose, write  and  tell  me  so.  If  you  have  interesting 
or  helpful  experiences  to  recount,  tell  me  of  them, 
too.  A  letter  from  you  would  gratify  me  very 
much. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  leave  these  parting  words: 

Increase  your  circle  of  worth-while  friends. 

Enlarge  your  scope  of  wholesome  entertainment. 

Enjoy  your  leisure  moments  as  befits  a  truth- 
loving,  health-conserving,  character-building  indi- 
vidual. 

Be  worthy  of  your  hire. 

YouVe  made  a  fresh  start  in  the  world  of  reality. 
Be  a  Man  among  Men! 

SelahU! 


Page  ninety-four 


The  Dictum  of  Dictums 

If  you  have  a  religious  belief — and  I  sincerely 
hope  you  have — here  is  the  most  valuable  Dictum 
of  all. 

Pray  daily  to  God  for  whatever  aid  you  may 
feel  in  need  of,  to  help  you  in  the  simple  task  of 
following  the  rules  in  this  book  to  a  victory  over 
the  tobacco  addiction. 

That  God  will  answer  these  prayers  is  certain. 

When  you  are  free  from  the  awful  thraldom- 
filled  with  the  exuberance  of  good  health,  a  clear 
mind  and  the  true  joys  of  life — add  a  few  words 
to  your  daily  prayer,  that  God  shall  show  others 
the  way  to  longer  life  and  contentment,  particu- 
larly that  He  shall  stay  our  boys  from  ever  acquir- 
ing the  tobacco  habit. 

And  do  not  be  self-contented  or  feel  that  your 
duty  is  done  merely  because  you  are  uttering  a 
daily  prayer. 

Put  your  knowledge  to  good  use.  Talk  to  the 
young  boys  kindly.  Keep  them  from  making  the 
error  of  starting  wrong. 

Talk  to  those  who  are  already  addicted.  I 
mean  men  of  any  age.  Seek  particularly  those 
who  are  ailing  without  knowing  just  what  the 
cause  IS.  Find  also  those  who  are  unable  to  obtain 
advancement  and  are  gradually  going  backward, 
yet  who  cling  fondly  to  their  tobacco.     Go  out  of 

Page  ninety-five 


your  way  to  meet  those  who,  through  the  volun- 
tary senseless  bondage,  imagine  they  prefer 
tobacco  smoke  and  profanity  to  wholesome  sur- 
roundings of  refinement.  Explain  to  them  the  real 
nature  of  tobacco  and  the  injury  that  it  does. 
Awaken  their  interest.  Tell  them  of  the  miracle 
that  was  wrought  within  you. 

Loan  your  copy  of  this  book  to  those  who  can- 
not afford  to  buy  one,  until  it  has  become  ragged 
through  wear  and  until  you  can  proudly  say  that 
you  have  saved  a  dozen  of  your  fellow  men. 

Then  you  will  be  able  to  face  your  God  and 
Man  with  the  knowledge  that  you  are  doing  your 
duty. 

This  is  the  Dictum  of  Dictums. 

Selah! 


Page  ninety-six 


To  Women  Who  Are  Addicted 

As  a  matter  of  convenience  the  text  of  this 
book  is  addressed  to  men,  but  with  minor  excep- 
tions it  can  be  applied  equally  to  women. 

Out  of  every  hundred  tobacco  users  three  are  of 
the  female  sex.  This  is  a  fair  average.  The  per- 
centage has  been  gradually  increasing.  Let  us 
hope  it  will  turn  to  a  steady  decrease. 

Women  who  use  tobacco  at  all  usually  favor 
cigarettes  and  snuff,  although  all  other  forms  of 
tobacco  are  indulged  in  to  some  extent.  Geography 
plays  an  important  part  in  this  differentiation.  In 
the  big  cities,  among  women  of  ultra-modernized 
tendencies  (good  or  bad),  the  cigarette  is  a 
favorite.  In  manufacturing  localities,  where  large 
numbers  of  women  are  employed  in  mills  and 
factories,  snuff  "dipping'*  is  a  popular  practice. 
In  Spanish-speaking  countries  cigars  are  smoked. 
In  Scotland  and  in  some  parts  of  America  old- 
fashioned  clay  or  cob  pipes  are  used.  Tobacco,  in 
the  usual  varieties  of  plug,  twist,  etc.,  as  well  as 
the  snuff  form,  is  used  by  a  rather  large  number 
of  the  women  folk  in  some  parts  of  America. 

I  shall  not  dwell  at  length  upon  the  unusually 
serious  harm  that  an  immoderate  indulgence  in 
tobacco  inflicts  upon  the  feminine  sex.  Let  me 
mention  a  few  items.  It  tends  to  destroy  beauty. 
It  gives  the  skin  a  sallow,  unhealthy  hue.     It  takes 

Page  ninety-seven 


vitality  and  lustre  from  the  eye  and  tends  to 
necessitate  the  wearing  of  glasses.  It  undermines 
strength  and  saps  energy.  Moreover,  it  devitalizes 
and  debilitates  even  the  sturdiest  and  healthiest 
of  women.  It  retards  the  normal  functioning  of 
the  delicate  organs.  It  has  a  harmful  effect  upon 
offspring  before  and  after  birth.  It  is  even  a 
potential  cause  of  sterility  itself. 

On  the  mental  side  an  intemperate  indulgence  in 
tobacco  operates  with  equally  disastrous  results  to 
health  and  happiness.  It  causes  and  intensifies 
irritability.  It  induces  hysteria.  It  leads  to  head- 
aches and  dizziness.  It  impairs  the  memory.  It 
occasions  nightmares.  It  frequently  leads  to  shat- 
tered nerves  or  neurasthenia. 

Tobacco  brings  in  its  wake  certain  emotional  dis- 
turbances that  act  as  a  blight  on  woman's  career 
and  are  a  bar  to  her  birthright  to  joy  and  content- 
ment. It  has  sometimes  even  aided  in  making 
a  person  non  compos  mentis.  In  short,  the  tobacco 
addiction  in  a  woman  is  a  horrible  curse,  spiritual 
as  well  as  material,  until  it  is  overcome. 

The  foregoing  facts  are  put  mildly.  I  could 
cite  nearly  all  the  long  series  of  ailments  (due  to 
excessive  use  of  tobacco)  that  come  upon  men  and 
show  convincingly  how  much  more  strongly  nico- 
tine and  its  kindred  poisons  affect  women. 

Next  we  come  to  the  social  aspects  of  our 
theme.  I  doubt  if  cigarette  smoking  ever  helps  a 
woman  toward  gaining  success,  and  I  am  afraid  it 
frequently  has  the  reverse  effect,  for  the  sterner 
sex  is  not  recruited   from   a  race  of   fools.      Men 

Page  ninety-eight 


want  healthy  mothers,  healthy  sisters,  healthy 
wives  and  children.  Men  want  women  folks  who 
are  right,  who  look  right  and  who  live  right. 
They're  not  content  with  sentimental  memories. 
They  require  the  soothing  and  sympathetic  atmos- 
phere of  live,  healthy,  modest,  womanly  women. 
They  have  placed  woman  on  a  pedestal,  endowed 
her  with  all  the  softer  virtues,  with  modesty  and 
grace  and  gentleness — with  delicacy  and  purity. 
Manly  men  have  made  woman  a  paragon  unde- 
filed  and  undefilable.  What  can  they  think  when 
they  see  this  idol  shattered,  and  behold  a  woman 
languidly  puffing  away  at  a  cigarette,  polluting 
her  system  with  the  poison? 

Where  one  man  may  frankly  approve  or  be 
indifferent  to  a  woman's  indulgence  in  tobacco,  a 
dozen  will  either  inwardly  or  openly  denounce  it. 

This  addiction  of  woman  to  man's  vice  is 
more  than  deplorable.  It  is  conducive  neither  to 
conjugal  felicity  nor  to  that  mutual  esteem  which 
ought  to  exist  between  the  sexes.  Man's  admira- 
tion and  love  rest  on  respect,  and  respect  springs 
from  the  knowledge  that  she — the  woman- 
deserves  the  pedestal  on  which  he  has  reverently 
placed  her. 

By  all  means,  ladies,  contend  for  your  rights. 
But  pity  the  fact  that  men  have  been  exposed  to 
and  laid  low  by  certain  vices,  and  rejoice  that  your 
woman's  world  is  wholesomer,  cleaner,  better;  that 
you  have  the  start  in  the  truly  modern  ideal  of 
keeping  oneself  immaculate.  That  is  your  mission. 
Keep  to  it. 

Page  ninety-nine 


Sensible  men  in  great  numbers  are  everywhere 
waking  up.  They  are  getting  rid  of  tobacco 
thraldom.  Surely  you  are  too  progressive  a  woman 
to  hold  to  what  others  discard. 

If  you,  dear  madam,  are  addicted  you  have  my 
sincere  sympathy.  I  could  easily  devote  a  whole 
book  to  the  subject  without  visiting  one  word  of 
blame  upon  you.  I  have  been  made  acquainted  with 
innermost  details  in  the  lives  of  many  women  so 
addicted,  and  I  J^now  that  they  have  become  en- 
slaved through  no  initial  fault  of  theirs.  Such 
women  merit  sympathy,  not  censure.  But  com- 
miseration is  not  genuine  unless  it  is  translated 
into  encouragement.  We  accomplish  nothing  by 
mere  vocal  regrets.  I  want  you  to  make  a  new 
start — become  a  courageous,  brave  and  successful 
woman  again.  You  can  and  must  do  it.  This 
book  will  help. 

It  makes  no  difference  what  your  occupation  is. 
You  may  be  an  actress,  writer  or  other  professional 
woman;  or  you  may  be  connected  with  business; 
or  you  may  be  a  factory  employee;  or  perhaps  you 
are  the  woman-at-home.  Life  will  take  on  a  new 
aspect  when  you  determine  to  quit  the  use  of 
tobacco  and  begin  following  the  system  described 
in  this  book.  You  will  be  able  to  do  better  work 
— and  more  of  it. 

You  will  build  higher  ideals  for  yourself — and 
fulfil  them.  Now  is  the  time  to  determine  to  win 
that  for  which  you  have  devoutly  wished. 

This  is  the  transcendent  moment  for  you  to  draw 
a  long  cheerful  breath  and  let  a  genuine  smile  find 

Page  one  hundred 


its  way  to  your  countenance,  for  you  now  hold  the 
key  that  will  release  you  from  the  imprisonment, 
that  will  enable  you  to  delight  your  friends,  new 
acquaintances  and  valued  business  associates  and 
family.  Surprise  them  all  by  a  newly  gained 
superb  appearance,  due  to  improved  health,  calm- 
ness of  mind,  clear  complexion,  lustrous  eyes,  pure 
breath,  clear  conscience,  self-respect,  mental  poise 
and  general  loveliness.  You  may  make  yourself 
feel  and  appear  years  younger  if  you  only  deter- 
mine to  do  so — NOW. 

The  Dictums  as  given  in  this  book  can  be  easily 
adopted  by  you  with  any  slight  modifications  that 
may  be  found  necessary.  I  wish  you  to  give  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  taking  of  outdoor  exercise. 
Never  let  cold  or  stormy  weather  be  a  bugbear. 
Don't  indulge  in  too  much  horseback  riding  or 
bicycling.  Also  keep  absolutely  off  the  motorcycle, 
for  this  sport  is  not  beneficial  to  women.  Nice 
walks  along  interesting  thoroughfares  or  through 
picturesque  country,  combined  with  cheerful  com- 
panionship and  the  various  convenient  methods  of 
open-air  exercise,  will  easily  suggest  themselves  to 
you. 

You  are  rvhat  ^ou  make  yourselj! 


Page  one  hundred  one 


A   Talk  to  the  Boy  Who   Smokes 

It  was  at  the  beach.  A  number  of  boys  were 
bathing.     They  were  having  great  fun. 

Three  of  the  boys,  in  a  spirit  of  bravado,  started 
to  swim  to  a  point  of  land.  It  looked  simple  and 
easy.  But  they  had  been  warned  of  danger  and 
told  not  to  be  so  foolish  as  to  take  such  a  risk — 
for  Death  had  caught  others  there  and  was  still 
lurking  for  new  victims. 

The  boys,  in  their  mistaken  desire  to  be  manly, 
and  heedless  of  the  danger,  kept  on.  At  a  place 
where  the  sea  appeared  no  rougher  than  else- 
where, the  lads  suddenly  felt  that  they  were  losing 
control  of  their  feet. 

For  the  first  time  in  their  lives  they  encoimtered 
that  danger  known  as  an  undertow.  Experienced 
sea  bathers  know  of  it  and  they  avoid  the  places 
where  it  is  liable  to  exist.  These  lads,  however, 
did  not  understand  what  was  wrong.  At  first  they 
fought  to  control  themselves  and  to  swim  to  the 
shore — only  a  few  rods. 

They  were  unable  to  hold  against  the  terrible 
and  mysterious  foe.  The  undertow  caught  them 
and  sucked  them  under  the  surface  of  the  water, 
as  if  a  horrible  octopus  had  drawn  them  into  its 
ugly  maw. 

Excited  observers  saw  that  something  was  amiss. 
Two  strong  swimmers  jumped  into  a  boat,  pulled 

Page  one  hundred  two 


sturdily  and  attempted  to  save  the  lives  of  those 
boys.  One  of  them  was  dragged  from  the  water 
nearly  drowned.  He  recovered  afterward.  The 
other  two  lads  rvere  drowned. 

Think  of  the  agony  of  the  parents  and  friends  I 
Two  boys  who  were  finding  life  full  of  good  things 
and  who  were  growing  into  fine  manhood,  became 
victims  of  the  cruel  enemy  that  was  concealed 
beneath  the  innocent-looking  surface  of  the  sea. 
Two  lives  thrown  away.  You  will  agree  that  the 
affair  was  horrible.      A  tragedy  without  excuse. 

This  brings  me  to  the  point  where  I  can  tell  you 
about  another  danger  which  exists  all  around  you. 
I  mean  the  cigarette  habit. 

You  learned  it  for  the  fun  of  the  thing,  probably 
in  the  spirit  of  "don't  take  a  dare.**  You  thought 
it  would  be  manly  to  know  how  to  smoke.  You 
saw  other  boys  doing  it. 

Now  you  have  become  so  accustomed  to  cigar- 
ettes that  you  feel  the  need  of  them.  They  give 
you  a  sort  of  stimulation;  or,  if  you  are  nervous, 
you  perhaps  smoke  several  of  them  to  make  you 
feel  easy. 

Now,  my  boy,  do  please  take  my  words  seri- 
ously; I  am  a  man  of  wide  experience.  I  have 
had  the  training  of  many  boys  as  well  as  men. 
I  know  the  effect  of  your  cigarette  smoking  to-day, 
and  I  also  know  what  the  result  may  be  if  you 
continue. 

The  tobacco  of  your  cigarette  contains  certain 
powerful  drugs — nicotine  and  others — ^which  act 
upon  your  body.     They  are  poisonous.     Your  feel- 

Page  one  hundred  three 


ing  of  stimulation,  quietude  or  any  other  form  of 
so-called  pleasure  obtained  through  cigarette  smok- 
ing is  false.  It  is  as  serious — only  in  a  different 
manner — as  if  you  were  to  deceive  your  nerves 
with  whiskey. 

Do  you  have  nervous  spells?  Do  you  become 
dizzy  at  times?  Are  you  unable  to  think  as  clearly 
as  formerly?  Is  your  memory  failing?  Do  you 
have  twitchings  in  the  eyes?  Is  your  skin  becom- 
ing yellowish?  Are  you  thin  and  emaciated?  Do 
you  lack  the  courage  to  look  people  squarely  in 
the  eye?  Are  you  lacking  in  ambition?  Do  you 
have  bad  dreams?  Are  you  unable  to  concentrate 
your  thoughts?  Do  you  sometimes  have  the  feel- 
ing come  over  you  that  you  are  doing  a  serious 
wrong? 

The  tobacco  habit — which  includes  cigarette 
smoking — ^has  sent  many  a  boy  to  an  early  grave, 
or  has  done  even  worse,  by  putting  him  in  an 
insane  asylum.  Legions  of  lads  have  been  ruined 
in  health  by  cigarettes,  and  if  you  could  realize 
that  so  many  of  the  weak,  broken-down  unsuccess- 
ful men  of  to-day  became  so  only  through  cigarette 
smoking,  you  would  understand  more  clearly  what 
I  mean. 

You  do  not  wish  to  suffer.  You  do  not  want 
to  inflict  any  anguish  on  your  mother  or  your 
father — or  on  any  beloved  member  of  your  family, 
who  cares  for  you  and  protects  you,  and  attends 
you  in  sickness  and  in  health.  You  do  not  wish 
to  enter  into  manhood  with  the  terrible  handicap 
of  being  weak  in  both  body  and  mind. 

Page  one  hundred  four 


If  I  were  to  tell  you  facts — giving  you  details 
of  actual  cases — I  could  fill  a  dozen  books  the  size 
of  this,  and  many  a  doctor,  prison  warden  or 
asylum  superintendent  could  do   likewise. 

Here's  just  one  case,  briefly  told.  A  millionaire 
of  New  York  had  a  son  who,  at  an  early  age, 
learned  to  smoke  cigarettes.  The  boy  was  unusu- 
ally bright;  he  won  high  honors  in  school  during 
his  earlier  years.  Gradually  the  poisons  of  the 
tobacco  began  to  spread  their  effects  through  his 
body  and  to  undermine  his  health- — working  just 
like  the  treacherous  undertow,  already  spoken  of, 
that  many  a  reckless  young  swimmer  doesn't  see, 
but  finally  feels,  and  is  sucked  under  by.  His 
memory  failed;  he  lost  his  desire  to  learn;  he  had 
bad  dreams;  he  was  nervous,  except  when  puffing 
at  a  cigarette,  and  his  heart  became  weak. 

The  family  physician  said  that  the  boy  must 
leave  school  and  go  away  for  a  rest.  He  went  to 
a  country  place,  but  he  did  not  allow  himself  to 
rest,  for  he  continued  to  smoke  cigarettes  and  his 
health  continued  to  fail. 

His  mother  brought  him  to  me.  He  was  a 
pitiable  sight.  His  main  thought  seemed  to  be 
upon  cigarettes  and  he  constantly  fumbled  in  his 
pockets,  unconsciously  seeking  one.  The  bright 
young  fellow  had  nearly  lost  his  mind.  He  had 
gone  too  long.  His  case  had  become  one  for  an 
asylum  and  he  was  taken  away  by  his  weeping 
mother.  When  I  last  heard  of  him  he  was  still 
no  better.      A   pathetic  case   of   a   fine   boy   who 

Page  one  hundred  five 


became  worthless  to  himself  and  to  the  world — 
the  sorrow  of  one  of  the  fondest  of  mothers  1 

Now,  my  boy,  I  want  you  to  think  of  yourself 
and  of  someone  rvho  is  near  and  dear  to  you.  It  was 
a  mistake  for  you  to  learn  to  smoke.  The  other 
boys  whom  you  emulated  were  misled  just  as 
surely  as  you  were.  It  is  not  manly  to  be  a 
cigarette  smoker.  It  is  an  open  advertisement  that 
you  are  gradually  ruining  your  health  and  that 
your  value  to  yourself,  to  your  employer  and  to 
the  world  is  being  lessened,  little  by  little,  but 
surely.     Stop ! 

The  fact  that  you  are  reading  this  book  shows 
that  you  still  have  a  good  brain  and  that  you  can 
stop.  Your  time  to  do  so  is  right  now,  and  you 
have  a  grand  opportunity  to  become  a  REAL 
MAN. 

Since  you  are  old  enough  to  use  tobacco  you  are 
able  to  follow  the  Dictums  laid  dow^n  in  this  book. 
You  will  find  a  marvelous  satisfaction  in  them. 
You  will  be  proud  of  yourself,  and  others  will  be 
proud  of  you. 

You  will  become  a  life  saver,  too.  I  do  not 
mean  that  you  will  be  able  to  stand  on  the  beach 
and  watch  over  foolish  boys  who  seek  to  swim  in 
dangerous  places.  I  mean  that  after  you  have 
found  how  fine  it  is — how  full  of  pleasure  is  life — 
after  you  are  rid  of  the  nasty  cigarettes,  you  will 
have  a  feeling  of  sympathy  for  the  young  fellows 
who  are  still  killing  themselves  and  you'll  think 
of  their  mothers,  too.  Then  you  will  tell  them 
what  they  are  losing  by  continuing  in  the  habit  and 

Page  one  hundred  six 


what  you  are  enjoying  since  you  became  free 
from  it. 

By  helping  other  boys  to  help  themselves  along 
this  right  and  sure  road,  you  will  prove  yourself 
a  manly  boy,  of  character,  strength  and  service — 
an  efficient,  worth-while  boy,  imbued  with  a  fear- 
less and  patriotic  spirit,  who  knows  how  to  do  a 
manly  duty  like  a  man,  and  who  steps  out  of  his 
boy's  shoes  to  do  it. 

Such  a  boy  deserves  success  in  life  and  it  is  such 
a  boy  who  wins  it. 


Page  one  hundred  seven 


Looking  Backward 

Read  this  chapter  an^  time  after  three  months  from 
the  period  that  })ou  freed  yourself  from  tobacco  addiction. 

Although  you  will  have  improved  steadily  day 
by  day,  after  beginning  the  Mac  Levy  System,  and 
observing  the  Dictums,  the  more  valuable  benefits 
will  manifest  themselves  when  both  your  body  and 
mind  have  been  restored  to  a  normal  working 
basis.  This  becomes  particularly  evident  about 
three  months  after  the  tobacco  habit  has  been 
forgotten. 

I  feel  sure  that  this  perspective  view  will  fit  your 
case  in  many  respects. 

You  have  turned  your  back  on  the  past.  You 
have  given  yourself  credit  that  you  were  a  free 
man.  At  first  the  way  seemed  unreal.  You 
doubted,  you  felt  the  uncertainty;  then,  as  you 
perused  the  opening  pages  of  this  book  more  care- 
fully, you  began  to  understand.  Your  senses 
gradually  became  awakened  and  then  you  arose 
to  meet  the  demand — and  you  won. 

You  see  where  you  are  to-day.  It  seems  a  far 
cry  back  to  where  you  started,  yet  clocked  by  the 
calendar  it  was  only  a  yesterday.  You  are  to-day 
far  above  the  former  average.     You  feel  it. 

You  can  look  further  into  things;  you  realize 
your  development   of   perceptiveness;   you  have   a 

Page  one  hundred  eight 


grasp  of  mind  that  you  did  not  have  just  a  hit 
ago.  You  know  you  are  on  your  way  to  success. 
This  is  what  I  said  would  be.  To-morrow  you 
will  be  further  on. 

Look  yourself  over  with  care.  Give  yourself 
credit  for  the  march  that  you  have  made.  In  the 
matter  of  your  strength  you  feel  stronger,  and  to 
realize  this  is  to  have  power. 

Instead  of  that  heavy,  sluggish,  stupid  feeling 
of  your  body,  or  extreme  nervousness,  or  indecision 
that  compelled  you  to  drive  yourself  along,  you 
have  expression,  freedom,  and,  above  all,  you 
have  a  well-balanced  impulse  to  do  things.  Your 
body  has  the  sustaining  force  to  carry  you  along. 
How  different  this  is  from  what  it  was. 

It  is  a  good  difference.  It  is  a  real  difference. 
It  means  everything  to  you! 

Consider  the  working  force  of  your  mind.  You 
realize  at  once  an  increase  of  power.  You  can 
think  now;  you  could  not  think  a  few  months  ago. 
You  see  an  idea  more  readily  now,  while  at  that 
time  you  had  to  grope  for  it. 

You  feel  like  thinking  more  broadly  than  before. 
You  have  good  consecutive  moments  of  thinking, 
where,  before,  your  mind  was  Hlled  with  disorder 
and  confusion. 

You  have  ability  to  solve  things,  and  you  do 
solve  them.  While  in  the  tobacco  bondage  you 
put  them  aside  for  some  other  time  when  you 
hoped  to  feel  like  doing  them. 

Your  mind  yearns  for  expression  and  exercise 
after   its   long   imprisonment.      You    have    a   clear 

Page  one  hundred  nine 


head.  It  is  not  "cobwebby"  or  confused.  It  works 
with  definite  aims  in  view.  You  have  an  unfettered 
brain.  It  all  seems  to  you  mighty  good.  Now 
keep  it.  Keep  that  brain  at  its  best.  Do  it  by 
keeping  yourself  at  your  best.  A  habit-free  man! 
I  told  you  how  good  this  would  seem.  As  you 
look  forward  and  upward  you  will  find  yourself 
each  da^  further  on  in  ijour  triumph. 

There  is  that  delicious  taste  that  you  sensed  this 
morning  at  the  table.  You  felt  good,  you  felt  fit — 
fit  to  taste  things,  to  notice  flavors.  You  now  have 
a  real  sense  of  enjoying  your  food.  You  recall 
the  past,  the  dreary  past,  when  nothing  tasted 
very  good.  All  flavors  were  alike,  and  they  were 
all  more  or  less  bad.  Yours  was  the  * 'brown 
taste**  that  tobacco  always  did  and  always  will 
give  to  a  man.  But  that's  gone.  To-day  you 
feel  the  gusto  of  eating  because  things  are  really 
good.  You  like  ^our  food  noT3>.  You  feel  satisfac- 
tion during  and  after  the  meal,  while  before  you 
felt  indifference — even  repugnance. 

So  you  have  made  distinct  progress.  You  have 
scored  a  notable  victory  by  learning  to  eat  prop- 
erly. You  see  the  reality  of  it  all  now.  The 
glorious  reality  of  this  conquest  over  an  unnatural 
appetite. 

You  have  noticed  to-day  that  your  digestion  is 
on  time,  not  upset,  not  *'at  outs**  with  you.  You 
have  felt  a  peace  in  your  stomach  and  digestive 
tract  that  for  years  had  been  very  much  missed. 
Was  it  not  good?  Just  to  have  digestion  quieted 
and  on  good  terms  with  you  for  a  single  day  was 

Page  one  hundred  ten 


mighty  good.  It  was  worth  a  million  times  more 
than  the  slight  effort  of  learning  to  follow  the 
Dictums. 

You  had  your  mind  set  upon  conquering  the 
tobacco-habit  evil  and  you  did  it.  You  are  mighty 
glad  of  what  you  accomplished. 

I  repeat — you  are  rising.  You  do  not  feel  the 
rancor  in  your  mind,  you  are  not  **on  edge'*  all 
day.  You  have  been  a  new  fellow.  It  is  splendid. 
It  is  what  I  meant  it  should  be!  It  is  the  way  I 
wanted  you  to  feel.  It  is  the  one  sensible  way 
to  live. 

There  is  the  delightful  feeling  that  you  are 
FREE.  That  you  are  not  held  up  at  every  corner 
by  your  habit,  to  spend  money,  to  spend  time,  and 
only  pollute  your  breath  and  your  clothes  and 
the  air  about  you,  as  a  miserable  reward.  You 
have  the  feeling  that  you  are  a  man,  not  a  slave; 
a  divine  UNIT,  not  a  decrepit,  dehumanized 
shadow  of  yourself.  You  are  no  longer  toting  a  kit  of 
bad-smelling  tools  with  which  to  work  wp  tobacco  into 
ashes. 

It  is  simply  great — this  free  feeling.  It  has  in  it 
a  new  sense  of  commiseration,  too,  for  the  fellow 
tied  down;  you  seem  to  pity  him,  where  before 
you  just  rated  him  to  be  as  shackled  as  you  were, 
when  the  habit  was  on  you.  Now  it  seems  different 
and  you  wish  he  were  with  you  and  like  you — 
emancipated.  That  is  the  way  of  it.  Freedom 
wants  all  to  be  free  with  it. 

You  have  a  new  joy  in  social  life,  too;  a  feeling 
of  pride  which  you  never  had  when  you  were  a 

Page  one  hundred  eleven 


slave  to  tobacco.  You  feel  like  the  best  of  those 
folks  there.  You  feel  that  you  are  there  "till  the 
play  is  over,**  and  you  know  no  reason  for  "going 
out  between  the  acts.**  It  is  all  new  and  fine  and 
refreshingly  wonderful.  You  never  thought  of  it 
as  you  do  now. 

You  find  that  people  are  more  interesting  than 
you  ever  found  them  before.  They  are  real  people. 
Formerly  you  thought  of  them  with  your  tobacco- 
befuddled  brain  as  mostly  insincere  and  unreal. 
Possibly  some  of  them  were — ^you  can  discriminate 
better  now.  You  are  making  new  friends;  they 
like  you  and  they  have  a  fresh  interest  in  you. 
They  smile  with  a  deeper  sincerity.  This  all  adds 
joy  to  your  day*s  return  to  normal  living.  You 
see  now  that  it  pays.  I  wanted  you  to  see  this, 
and  you  now  know  I  was  right.  All  you  need 
is  to  go  on. 

Right  on  top  of  all  this  good  feeling  comes 
another  joy.  You  find  that  your  pocket  money 
does  not  disappear  as  fast  as  it  did.  You  can 
ascribe  this  added  wealth  only  to  the  fact  that  you 
are  now  a  free  man  and  not  a  tobacco  slave. 
You  are  proud  of  yourself,  and  the  world — the 
once  skeptical  world — is  becoming  proud  of  you. 
You  are  a  live  producer,  wealthier  in  the  world's 
goods,  wealthier  in  efficiency,  and  therefore  more 
valuable  to  society. 

And  your  thoughts — they  dwell  only  on  what  is 
best.  You  find,  for  instance,  that  home  lacks 
something,  that  it  is  not  a  completely  furnished 
nest.      You  are  missing  there  many  nice   things — 

Page  one  hundred  twelve 


desired  things — such  as  flowers,  cheerful  books,  a 
pretty  trinket  or  two.  You  did  not  care  for  flowers 
when  you  were  in  the  thraldom,  but  now  you  feel 
like  seeing  them  and  you  like  to  have  them  at 
home.  You  want  to  inhale  their  soft  fragrance. 
This  is  a  new  breath  of  life  which  you  must  drink 
in.  It  is  a  natural  thing  for  people  to  love  flowers, 
but  when  a  man  is  made  unnatural  by  being  a 
tobacco  slave  he  does  not  even  appreciate  them. 
The  natural  man  is  a  joy-loving  being. 

And  what  about  your  loved  ones — mother,  wife, 
sister,  or  perhaps  children,  for  whom  you  seldom 
gave,  or  were  able  to  give,  a  sustained  thought? 
Maybe  you  didn't  have  the  time  before  for  the 
loving  words  eind  kindly  encouragements.  If  you 
just  add  together  the  half  moments  that  you  were 
accustomed  to  squander  lighting  cigarettes  cind 
cigars  and  filling  your  pipes  you  will  have  time 
a-plenty  henceforth.  What  is  past  is  past,  but  now 
you  will  make  up  for  those  wasted  moments  in  one 
lump  sum  of  life-continued  affection. 

What  little  gift  will  please  them?  You  know 
their  little  fads  and  fancies  best.  And  with  the 
generous  instincts  born  of  home  love  you  will 
gratify  them  at  last.  What  shall  it  be?  A  box  of 
candy  or  an  uplifting  book  or  a  nosegay  or  a 
dress  ornament?  Any  inexpensive  keepsake  that 
carries  your  thoughtfulness  and  love  will  do.  Their 
hearts  are  all  grateful,  and  their  faces,  once  tear- 
dimmed  and  careworn  and  furrowed,  are  now 
lit  up. 

Page  one  hundred  thirteen 


This  IS  the  way  it  works — the  triumph  of  the 
real  man  over  his  unreal  self.  It  brings  the  best 
out  of  him;  it  brings,  too,  the  best  into  him.  He 
feels  that  he  is  on  the  right  road.  He  knew  always 
he  was  there,  but  had  to  trust  himself  to  find  it. 
You  are  now  keeping  tabs  on  the  new  joys  and 
new  senses  of  life  that  will  awaken  in  you. 

Keep  straight  on.  Lift  your  mind  and  body  to 
where  you  can  feel  the  real  normal  life  thrill  and 
you  will  know  what  I  mean.  There  are  still  finer 
things  in  store  for  you — bigger  realities.  You  are 
still  more  and  more  of  a  man  and  you  can  prove 
it.  There  is  no  man  who  uses  tobacco  excessively, 
no  matter  where  he  stands  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world's  successes,  who  is  as  big  as  you  aire,  free 
of  tobacco.  This  may  seem  like  a  strong  state- 
ment, but  it  is  true. 

There  is  nothing  finer  for  you  in  this  universe 
than  the  fact  that  you  are  your  own  destiny-shaper. 
Keep  so  always.  Keep  your  habits,  your  health, 
and,  above  all,  yourself,  at  the  high  tide  of  worka- 
day goodness — to-day  and  every  other  day — and 
you  can  truthfully  exclaim,  with  the  keen-visioned 
poet:     ** Master  of  opportunities  am  /.** 


Page  one  hundred  fourteen 


APPENDIX 


TOBACCO:  THE  DESTROYER 

A  Compilation  of  Convincing  Evidence 

-     Is  tobacco  a  poison? 

Does  it  destroy  or  do  serious  injury  to  mankind  ? 

Even  if  both  the  foregoing  questions  be  answered 
**YES"  by  Science,  is  it  not  possible  that  the  gen- 
eidl  harmfulness  of  tobacco  habit  is  overrated  by 
those  who  are  opposed  to  tobacco? 

These  are  fair  questions.  I  am  fair,  too.  I  am 
not  an  anti-tobacco  crank  in  the  usual  sense  of  the 
term.  I  recognize  the  tobacco  industry  as  an 
enormous  one.  1  know  there  are  many  excellent 
persons  engaged  in  it.  I  have  friends  who  are  high 
in  the  councils  of  Tobaccodom.  I  hate  quarrels 
or  acrimonious  debates.  But,  withal,  I  am  a  fighter 
against  what  my  moral  sense  tells  me  is  wrong. 
Therefore  I  must  frankly  acknowledge  that  I  am 
convinced  tobacco  is  a  race  poison,  and  that  the 
trifling  part  it  fills  in  human  sociability  is  not 
worthy  of  consideration  when  compared  with  the 
vast  amount  of  harm  that  it  is  doing  to  humanity. 

In  this  Appendix  I  give  facts.  Everything  is 
proven  by  "chapter  and  verse.**  I  have  covered  the 
subject  widely,  being  limited  in  the  results  set  down 
here  solely  by  my  desire  to  keep  this  book  under 
encyclopedic  size.  In  these  researches  loads  of 
opinions  and  beliefs  have  been  discarded  because 

Page  one  hundred  seventeen 


they  were  not  scientifically  conclusive,  although,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  they  were  largely  true. 

At  the  end  of  the  Appendix  you  will  find  the 
list  of  authorities  from  which  the  evidence  has  been 
compiled.  The  references  are  indicated  by  small 
elevated  numbers;  as,  for  example,  I  mention*  that, 
according  to  one  of  the  most  recently  issued  vol- 
umes by  a  recognized  authority,  tobacco  can  be 
worse  for  the  users  than  opium  or  its  derivatives, 
including  morphine. 

TOBACCO    IS    A    POISON 

Where  shall  we  find  the  information  as  to  what  tobacco  is? 

One  place  to  find  it  is  in  any  list  of  poisons,^  and  you  will 
observe  what  are  the  antidotes,  and  so  on,  as  in  the  case  of  all 
other  poisons. 

One  place  where  you  will  not  find  it  is  in  the  official  pharmacopoeia 
(the  government's  list  of  official  remedies)  ;  for  while,  in  the  old  days 
of  medicine,  tobacco  was  occasionally  used  to  counteract  intestinal 
ipasm,  as  in  strangulated  hernia,  it  was  found  so  dangerous — in  fact, 
this  is  how  we  have  most  of  our  records  of  its  directly  poisonous 
action — that  doctors  have  long  ago  tabooed  it.  Nor  will  you  find 
tobacco  recorded  anywhere  as  a  food. 

When  you  have  located  tobacco  among  the  poisons,  and  want  to 
know  more  about  it,  you  learn  this:  Tobacco  is  a  plant  of  the 
family  called  nightshade^  including  such  relatives  as  belladonna  and 
henbane. 

Webster  says'  tobacco  is  a  narcotic.  Here  are  some  other  nar- 
cotics: Opium,  morphine  and  heroin,  belladonna  and  atropine,  cocaine, 
henbane  (hyoscyamus),  stramonium,  cannabis  indica  (hasheesh), 
alcohol,  ether,  chloroform,  hydrated  chloral,  bromal  hydrate,  prussic 
(hydrocyanic)  acid,  carbon  monoxide. 

A  narcotic  stimulates  at  first;  then  induces  stupor,  and  finally 
insensibility,  the  stages  depending  chiefly  on  the  amount  consumed  and 
the  susceptibility  of  the  individual. 

The  botanical  name  of  the  plant  tobacco  is  ntcolxana  tahacum, 
giving  you  a  hint  of  its  important  constituent,  nicotine.  The  dried  leaves 
of   the  plant  are   the  parts  used  for  smoking,  chewing  and  snuffing 

Page  one  hundred  eighteen 


preparations.      Besides    the    function    of    narcotizing    Human    beings, 
tobacco  preparations  are  used  in  a  crude  way  for  killing  insects. 

Tobacco  contains  usual  vegetable  components — silica  (sand),  phos- 
phates and  nitrates  of  calcium  (chalk)  and  potassium,  gum,  resin. 
The  active  principle  is  the  alkaloid  substance,  nicotine,'^  contained  in 
varying  degree  by  different  brands  of  tobacco,  ranging  from  two  to 
eight  per  cent.  The  composition  has  been  shown  to  be  variable;  and 
cigars*  considered  mild  may  contain  more  nicotine  than  other  cigars. 

Nicotine,  in  the  language  of  chemistry,  is  leta-p^ridil-alpha-n- 
meih^l-p^rroUdine,  one  of  the  most  virulent  poisons  known  to  man. 
Nicotine  is  classed  as  a  poison  exceeding  in  deadliness  all  other 
poisons  except  prussic  acid,^°  the  mere  vapor  of  which  can  kill — the 
commonly  known  form*  being  diluted  with  98  per  cent,  water. 

Tobacco  smo\e  has  been  analyzed  by  innumerable  chemists.  Some 
of  the  nicotine  is  broken  up,  about  85  per  cent.^'®  remaining  as  nico- 
tine, and  the  chief  other  substances  formed  are  pyridine,  colUdine, 
creosote,  sulphide  gases,  carbolic  acid,  hydrogen  cyanide  {prussic 
acid),  acetic  acid,  valerianic  acid,  carbon  dioxide,  carbon  monoxide, 
ammonia;  extent  and  variety^"^'^  differing  in  particular  cases. 

The  amount  of  carbon  monoxide  formed  on  the  average  and  taken 
into  the  mouth  is  six  times  the  weight  of  the  tobacco  itself  which  is 
used,*  for  part  of  the  carbon  monoxide  is  created  by  joining  with  the 
oxygen  in  the  air. 

Cigarettes  may  contain  various  impurities  and  special  poisons.  A 
proportion  of  cigarette  papers  contains  glycerine,  which  in  burn- 
ing forms^  acrolein.    This^  is  an  acrid  poison. 

Another  substance  found  In  tobacco  smoke  is  the  aldehyde 
furfural,^  the  specially  dangerous  ingredient  found  in  improperly  aged 
whiskey. 

In  a  case  where  pure  nicotine  was  taken  by  a  human  being  only 
one-fifteenth  of  a  grain  was  used;  the  victim  dropped  instantly  to  the 
floor  insensible  and  death  occurred  within  three  minutes.  A  fatal 
dose^"'  for  cats  and  dogs  is  one  thirty-second  of  a  grain. 

Tobacco  as  such  (not  isolated  nicotine,  but  plain  tobacco**)  taken 
into  the  stomach — say  about  as  much  as  one  cigar — is  fatal.  But  death 
has  also  resulted  from  the  inhalation  of  tobacco  vapor^'^  into  the  lungs. 

In  ordinary  smoking  the  gases  are  absorbed  by  the  mucous  mem- 
branes of  nose  and  throat,  and  partly  breathed;  while,  when  the 
person  inhales,  the  entrance  into  the  lungs  is,  of  course,  marked;  and 
in  any  ceise    some  of  the  smoke"  is  also  sweJlowed. 

In  chewing  and  snuffing,  a  portion  of  the  tobacco  Is  absorbed 
directly  by  the  tissues;  and  some  of  it  mixes  with  the  saliva'""'"  and 
is  swallowed. 

Page  one  hundred  nineteen 


Tobacco  obviously  acts  as  a  local  irritant;  but  the  main  damage  is 
produced  by  its  getting  into  the  system.  Ordinary  tobacco  can  send 
its  poisons  into  the  human  body  right  through  the  unbroken""^*  skin. 
Cases  are  recorded  of  smugglers  who  died  after  having  covered  their 
whole  bodies  with  tobacco  leaves,*  which  they  were  trying  to  bring 
across  the  border  fraudulently.  Then  surely  you  can  imagine  how  much 
more  easily  tobacco  insinuates  itself  into  the  body  through  the  sensi- 
tive mucous  membranes:  of  stomach  and  intestines,  when  any  of  the 
tobacco,  some  direct  and  some  in  saliva,  is  swallowed;  of  nose  and 
throat,  when  chewed,  smoked  or  snuffed;  of  the  lungs,  when  smoked. 

After  the  toxic  tobacco  elements  are  in,  they  are  carried  by  the 
blood  throughout  the  circulatory  system,  affecting  the  heart,  striking 
the  nerves  and  brain,  undermining^  the  whole  physical  and  mental  being. 

THE   TOBACCO   HABIT   KILLS 

Here  are  carefully  recorded  facts: 

The  statement  issued  by  the  Census  Bureau  at  Washington,**  on 
the  principal  causes  of  death  in  1914,  in  the  registration  area  of  the 
United  States,  compares  the  death  rates  in  1914  with  those  in  1900» 
giving  the  average  number  per  100,000  population. 

1900  1914 

Deaths  from  tuberculosis 201.9  146.8 

Deaths  from  pneumonia 180.5  127.0 

Deaths    from    diphtheria 43.3  17.9 

Deaths  from  typhoid 35.9  15.4 

Note  the  decrease  in  deaths  from  the  foregoing  class  of  com- 
municable diseases,  largely  in  consequence  of  the  extensive  campaigns 
for  improved  sanitary  conditions. 

Here  Is  another  schedule: 

1900  1914 

Deaths  from  heart  disease 123.1  150.8 

Deaths    from    B right's    disease    and 

acute  nephritis   89.0  1 02.4 

Deaths     from     cancer     and     other 

malignant  tumors    63.0  79.4 

Deaths  from  apoplexy 67.5  77.7 

Deaths  from  diabetes 9.7  16.2 

Note  the  Increase,  In  spite  of  better  living  conditions.  In  deaths 
from  the  last-named  group  of  diseases  arising  from  organic  deteri- 
oration. 

Page  one  hundred  twenty 


Make  allowance  for  all  kinds  of  variable  circumstances,  yet  surely 
these  figures  indicate  a  degenerative  tendency  for  which  there  must  be 
rejisons. 

You  will  now  see  significance  in  tlie  parallel  fact  that  the  amount 
of  cigarettes  made  in  this  country  during  the  same  two  years,  re- 
spectively, were  as  follows: 

1900   2.000,600.000 

1914   15,800,000,000 

These  figures®  show  an  increase  of  seven  hundred  per  cent.  Thai 
there  was  also  an  increase  in  most  other  forms  of  tobacco,  during  the 
period  in  question,  is  well  known. 

Bear  in  mind,  it  is  a  matter  of  definite  medical  knowledge  that 
tobacco  ads  injuriously  upon  the  human  organs.  Therefore  the  extraor- 
dinary increase  in  death  rate  (through  diseases  most  often  caused 
by  tobacco — as  will  be  shown)  may  be  partly  attributed  to  that  popular 
poison. 

Insurance  companies  are  cold  and  calculating.  They  reckon  with 
death  as  calmly  as  you  check  up  your  laundry  bill.  Here  is  an 
example:  In  191 1  the  New  England  Life  Insurance  Company  published 
a  table  from  records  of  sixty  years,"  covering  (he  cases  of  180,000 
policyholders. 

This  particular  company  classified  the  policyholders  as  abstainers 
from  tobacco,  rare  users,  temperate  users  and  moderate  users.  Ex- 
cessive users  do  not  appear,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  the  insurance 
company  was  in  business  to  make  money  and  would  not  accept  an 
e:icessive  user,  for  such  to  them  seemed  a  death  risk  altogether  too 
great. 

The  standard  of  expected  mortality  is  a  formula  agreed  upon  by 
the  insurance  companies,  upon  which  insurance  premiums  are  based. 
That  is,  out  of  a  certain  number  of  persons  of  a  certain  age  so  many 
may  be  expected  to  die.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  formula  is  a 
maximum  for  the  companies*  protection  and  is  very  rarely  reached. 

The  following  figures  give  the  percentage  of  deaths  in  each  of  the 
four  classes.  Where  the  standard  (or  msaimum)  predicted  100  deaths, 
only  so  many,  as  you  see  here  given,  died: 

Tobacco   abstainers    59 

Rare  users  of  tobacco 71 

Temperate  users  of  tobacco 84 

Moderate  users  of  tobacco 93 

The  above  statistics,  covering  sixty  years,  are  appalling  in  their 
significance.      Many    companies    which   have    not   been    so   careful    in 

Page  one  hundred  twenty-one 


their    watchfulness    over    their    tobacco-using    policyholders    are    now 
handling  this  feature   in   a  definite  way.      I    know  one  of  America's 
greatest   companies   that   has    begun    to    demand    information    from   its' 
prospective  policyholders  respecting  their  indulgence  in  tobacco.   Others    '  • 
are  coming  into  line.    Jhey  realize  the  necessity  of  it.       ,  -  ' 

Concrete  examples  of  cases  wherein  tobacco  has  been  the  direct 
or  near-direct  cause  of  death  are  so  numerous  that  it  would  lake 
voluminous  records  to  relate  even  an  insubstantial  proportion  of  them. 
Some  cases  will  be  cited,  further  on.  _  ^     - 

Every  experienced  physician  could  recount  Instances  wherein  prema- 
ture death  through  heart  disease  or  other  organic  trouble  had  been 
induced  and  given  impetus  by  the  excessive  use  of  tobacco. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  British  Life  Assurance  Medical  Officers* 
Association" ,  in  London  in  1913  the  consensus  of  opinion  was  in 
favor  of  including  excessive  use  of  tobacc  as  a  physical  test.  The 
principal  speaker  at  the  conference  related  that  he  had  long  been  m 
the  habit  of  asking  applicants  whether  they  used  tobacco;  and  he 
cited  two  recent  cases  of  comparatively  young  men — one  insane,  the  ^  ■ 
other  a  suicide — ^both  of  whom  had,  under  the  existing  rules  of  the  y 
company,  been  accepted  for  insurance,  but  in  both  of  whose  cases  he 
(the  doctor)   had  reported  "Smokes  too  much."  ,  . 

Another  way  to  lest  whether  one  thing  Is  a  result  of  one  circum- 
stance   (death    the   result   of   tobacco   excess),   besides   showing   many  4<^    » 
cases  of  the  thing  foHowlng  that  circumstance,  is  to  show  where  tli^ 
removal  of  the  circumstance  was  followed  by  that  thing  not  occurring.         ^ 

I  recall  the  report"  of  a  well-known  New  York  doctor,  of ^  two 
cases  of  serious  heart  trouble  (threatened  with  the  usual  end  of  such 
diseases)    relieved   and   the   persons   restored   to   normal    by   the  con- 
quering of  the  tobacco  habit.     One  was  H.  B.,  a  lawyer,  38  years        :^^ 
old,  who  had   smoked  pipe,  cigars  and  cigarettes.     His  heart  trouble  W 

was  relieved  following  the  cutting  off  of  tobacco.  The  other  was 
W.  L.  S.,  a  seemingly  powerful  and  healthy  man  of  35,  who  had, 
been  smoking  cigars  and  contracted  heart  palpitation.  He  cjtiii  tobacco 
and  his  heart  returned  to  normal  condition. 

As  I  have  already  said,  almost  any  physician  can  multiply  such       ' 
instances.     Heaven  be  praised  that  tobacco's  dastardly  work^is  foile^ 
in  some  cases.  ,  ^ 


■J 
TOBACCO    CAUSES  INSANITY 


i: 


Let  us  make  no  mistake  here.     It  is  a  common  thing  for  persons 

who  have  used   tobacco  excessively   to  experience   spells  of  temporary 

frenzy,    loss    of    memory,    acute    melancholia    or    other    mental    dis- 

f 

Page  one  hundred  twenty-two  *■ 


^ 


turbance.     But  they  are  not  what  are  termed  insane  from  a  medical 
Standpoint.  - 

I  do  not  mean  the  word  "insane"  figuratively,  but  refer  plainly 
to  the  condition  of   losmg  reason,  self,  personality,  contact  .with  and 
control  of  life — the  loss  dreaded  by  most  of  us  more  than  death. 
*^  V  '    .        . 

The  records  of  tobacco  Insanity  speak  for  themselves. 

The   fails  cagae  under  observation   even   in   the   old  days.     More 

than  fifty  years   ago   an  Edinburgh   University   professor^*  wrote   that 

ne  himself  witnessed  two  cases  of  mania  resulting  from  excessive  use 

of  tobaccot  and  heard  an  eminent  physician  of  the  time^^  cite  tobacco 

'    as  one  of  the  causes  of  mental  disease. 

One  compiler^'  has  gathered  the  following  evidence: 
r  Dr.  Kirkbnde,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Insane  Hospital,  reported  six 
cases  of  insanity  verij  clearPj  attributable  to  the  use  of  tobacco. 

Dr.  Harlow,  nead  of  the  Maine  Insane  Asj'lum,  remarked  that  the 
V     pernicious  effect  of  tobacco  on  the  brain  and  nervous  system  is  obvious 
to  all  who  dxe  called  to  treat  the  insane. 

,  Dr.'  Bancroft,   head   of   the>  Concord    (N.    H.)    Insane    Asylum, 

'  ^  staled;  ^hat  the  number  of  cases  of  insanity  in  which  tobacco  is 
prominent  among  rlhe  causes  is  very  large;  and  that' he  had  known 
several  cases  of  insanity  most  unquestionably  produced  fep  </ie  use 
of  tobacco  ji}lthovt  other  complicaiing  causes,  and  which  have  been 
cured  by  suspension  of  the  tobacco  habit. 

The  chief  physician   of   St.  Vincent's  Hospital    for   the   Insane, 

Kj^St.    Louis,   Mo.,^^   declared    that   he   had    seen    (insane)    melancholia, 

tnore   often   mania   and   very    frequently    general    paresis,    precipitated 

by  excessive  use  of  tobacco,  but  that  he  also  knew  instances  wherein 

ponesis  could  not  be  referred  to  any  other  cause  than  tobacco. 

This  doctor's  further  demonstration  that  tobacco  really  does  cause 
Insanity  he  bases  cm  tke-  well-nigh  magic  effect  seen  in,  some  cases 
after  the  discontinuance  of  the  tobacco.         • 

Thus  he  had  observed  that  Inceptive  melancholia  with  suitidal 
impulses,  hallucinations  of  various  kinds,  forced  actions  besides  the 
t  precursory  symptoms  of  ins%nity,  such  as  insomnia,  crying  spells, 
precordial  pains-  fears  of  impending  evil,  impotency,  vertigo,  im- 
pairment of  memory  and  judging  power,  and  lowering  of  moral 
tone,  all  of  |which  and  a  host  of  other  symptoms  were  attributable  to 
chronic  tobacco  intoxication,  disappeared  after  freedom  from  the 
tobacco  habit  was  established. 

One  of  his  patients  had  an  insurmountable  impulse  to  jump  out 
of   any   open  window   and   therefore   had   to   be   restrained.      Discon- 
^    tinuance  of   the   tobacco   indulgence   terminated   the   morbid    fear   and 
intent.  '^         . 


Page  one  hundred  twenfy-fhree 


These  actual  records  are  borne  out  ty  tlie  later  pathological 
research''^  to  which  I  shall  refer,  and  they  in  turn  give  us  a  basis  for 
fair  inference,  as  to  the  grave  harmfulness  of  tobacco,  to  be  drawn 
from  reports  such  as  these: 

A  member  of  the  Paris  Academy  of  Medicine^"  pointed  out  the 
statistics  that,  in  exact  proportion  with  the  increase  of  diseases  in  the 
nerve  centers — i.  e.,  insanity,  general  paralysis,  periplegia  and  certain 
cancerous  affections — there  was  an  increased  consumption  of  tobacco. 

In  our  own  country  the  case  is  the  same.  For  example:  The 
census  of  1900  as  a  basis  shows  50  per  cent,  increase  in  population 
in  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  667  per  cent,  increase  in  insanity.  And 
the  increased  use  of  tobacco  kept  pace.  In  about  the  same  period 
the  annual  consumption  of  tobacco  in  the  United  States  increased 
from  five  pounds  to  seven  pounds  per  person,  average,*^  and  the 
mortality  from  apoplexy  and  other  nervous  diseases,  among  men,'^ 
increased  31  per  cent. 

The  national  and  international  statistics  show  **how  the  wind 
blows";  and  the  actual  cases  tell  of  the  individual  victims  swept 
away.     Tragic  tobacco! 


TOBACCO  CAUSES  CANCER 

President  Grant  died  of  cancer.  During  the  President's  last  days 
one  of  his  physicians,  Dr.  Douglas,^"  stated  with  studied  conservatism: 
"Smoking  was  the  exciting  cause  of  the  cancer,  though  there  have 
been  many  contributing  causes."  After  the  General's  death  Dr. 
Shrady  said:  "It  is  quite  probable  that  the  irritation  of  smoking  was 
the  actual  cause  of  the  cancer;  or  at  least  it  is  fair  to  presume  thai 
he  would  not  have  had  the  disease  if  his  habit  had  not  been  carried 
to  excess." 

A  well-known  Boston  surgeon^  said:  "The  irritation  from  a 
cigar  or  pipe  frequently  precedes  cancer  of  the  lips."  A  London 
doctor  (senior  physician  of  the  Metropolitan  Hospital) :  "Cancer 
of  the  lip  is  rarely  seen,  except  in  men  who  smoke."  A  French 
professor:  "Tobacco  is  the  most  common  cause  of  cancer  in  the 
mouth."  A  member  of  the  (British)  Royal  College  of  Surgeons; 
"All  the  cases  of  cancer  of  the  mouth  that  I  have  come  across,  and 
they  are  pretty  numerous,  have  been  started  by  the  pipCt  cigar  or 
cigarette." 

I  have  clippings  from  several  newspapers  in  my  scrap  book,  report- 
ing the  lectures  of  Dr.  Howard  A.  Kelly,  of  Johns  Hopkins  Uni- 
versity Medical  College,  Baltimore,  at  the  time  his  radium  research 
created  such  a  furore;  and  Dr.  Kelly,  speaking  of  the  possibility  of 
curing  cancer  by   the  use   of   radium,   refers  in   the   most   matter-of- 

Page  one  hundred  twenty-four 


fact  way  to  the  use  of  pipes  and  cigars  as  the  cause  of  the  majority 
of  cases  of  cancer  of  the  lip. 

Dr.  Rochard,  of  the  French  Academy  of  Medicine,®  while  declar- 
ing that  the  frequency  of  tobacco  cancer  should  not  be  exaggerated — 
and  nobody  pretends  that  every  tobacco  user  will  contract  cancer — 
warns  tobacco  habitues  of  the  danger  of  epithelioma,  or  cancer  of  the 
lips  and  tongue.  In  some  cases,  he  says,  it  begins  with  buccal  psoriasis, 
a  kind  of  thickening  of  the  skin  of  the  tongue,  which  becomes  white, 
glossy  and  horny.  These  two  forms  of  a  horrible  malady  are  in 
his  opinion  the  most  serious  perils  tobacco  users  incur. 

I  shall  spare  the  reader  the  recorded  details  of  many  specific  cases. 
You  ^non>  what  cancer  is.  A  case  told  of  in  The  British  Medical 
Journal  quotes^"  the  doctor  as  of  opinion  that  the  victim  would  have 
done  better  to  blow  his  brains  out.  A  Philadelphia  case  report 
describes  the  agony  of  a  prominent  banker  with  cancer  of  the  tongue, 
whose  whole  throat  began  to  rot  and  who  finally  died  of  starvation 
and  suffocation — being  unable  to  swallow  anything  and  unable  at 
last  to  brfeathe. 

TOBACCO   CAUSES   DEAFNESS 

In  the  matter  of  deafness  and  tobacco  the  simplest  course  is  to 
see  what  a  standard  author  on  diseases  of  the  ear''^  has  to  say.  This 
specialist's  titles,  offices  and  honors  would  almost  fill  a  page  of  this 
book  in  the  enumeration. 

Like  all  real  scientists,  he  is  conservative.     I  quote: 

**As  to  the  varying  susceptibility  of  different  Individuals  to  certain 
influences,  tobacco  and  alcohol  furnish  notable  examples.  Thus,  one 
man  may  be  able  to  smoke  habitually  large  numbers  of  cigars  daily 
and  to  drink  wine,  beer  or  whiskey  in  considerable  amount  without 
any  determinable  injurious  effect  upon  his  ears,  while  another  suffers 
regularly  from  any  excessive  indulgence  in  either. 

"Tobacco  In  susceptible  subjects  may  affect  the  ears  Injuriously 
In  two  ways — i.  e.,  (a)  by  inducing  venous  congestion  or  catarrh  of 
the  tubal  mucosa,  this  giving  rise  to  alterations  of  intratympanic  pres- 
sure and  tension  (difficulty^  in  hearing) ;  or,  (b)  more  rarely,  may 
induce  a  slow  and  insidious  form  of  auditory  nerve  deafness.  A 
colleague  of  the  writer,  who  has  been  an  habitual  though  moderate 
smoker  of  cigars,  has  been  obliged  to  give  up  smoking  on  account  of 
the  aural  symptoms  induced.  He  states  that  whenever  he  is  tempted 
to  smoke,  even  in  moderation,  he  regularly  experiences  tinnitus  aurium 
(ringing  in  the  ears)  and  a  sense  of  fulness  and  occlusion  of  the 
ears,  which  as  regularly  disappear  after  a  few  days  of  abstention 
from   tobacco." 

Professor  von  Frankel-Hochwart^^  reports  many  cases  of  hard- 
ness of  hearing  due  to  tobacco.     So  do  other^°  eminent  medical  men. 

Page  one  hundred  twenty -five 


TOBACCO   CAUSES   BLINDNESS 

When  reference  Is  made  to  the  harmful  effects  of  tobacco  abuse 
upon  the  epe,  don't  imagine  the  trouble  to  be  some  passing  irritation 
of  a  mechanical  sort  produced,  for  example,  by  any  kind  of  smoke. 
In  fact,  chewing  and  snuffing  may  cause  blindness.  The  eye  disease 
that  is  connected  with  tobacco  is  internal,  a  result  of  poisoning — 
which  fact  gives  the  scientific  term  toxic  amblyopia  to  what  is  popu- 
\ai\y  known  as  tobacco  blindness. 

Another  name  often  heard  is  amaurosis,  which  etjrmologically 
means  the  same  as  amblyopia,  but — ^when  a  distinction  is  made — may 
be  said  to  describe  the  absolutely  complete  loss  of  vision  in  which 
the  continued  dimness  or  obscurity  of  sight  (amblyopia)  may  result. 

A  few  years  ago,'*'  many  of  the  students  having  developed  eye 
trouble  soon  after  entering  West  Point,  an  expert  oculist  examined 
the  eyes  of  the  students  and  declared  that  the  ttea^ness  of  vision  r»as 
caused  b^  tobacco  poisoning. 

West  Point  now  bars  cigarettes  altogether  and  restricts  the  use 
of  other  forms  of  tobacco;  while  the  Annapolis  Naval  Academy 
prohibits  every  kind  of  tobacco  to  all  except  seniors,  smd  the  latter's 
indulgence  is  confined  to  a  regulated  minimum. 

Tobacco  blindness  is  a  very  serious  and  not  at  all  uncommon 
thing.  Ask  any  eye  doctor  or  inquire  at  any  eye  dispensary  or 
hospital.  Yet  this  dread  danger  is,  alas!  too  little  realized  by  the 
average  tobacco  user.  I  have  before  me  a  copy  of  the  New  York 
World,  of  February  17,  1916,  containing  a  report  that  Prof. 
De  Schweinitz,  of  Philadelphia,  says  "tobacco  is  often  the  cause  of 
blindness" — as  if  this  were  news! 

Nicotine  amblyopia  is  quite  fully  described  in  Dr.  De  ScWemitz's 
standard  book"  on  diseases  of  the  eye;  and  back  in  1896  this 
famous  ophthalmologist  wrote  a  book*^  dealing  exclusively  with  the 
toxic  amblyopias.  In  this  last-nzuned  volume  a  long  chapter  is  devoted 
to  tobacco  amblyopia,  comprising  a  summation  of  authorities  from 
1863  to  date,  and  reporting  the  result  of  37  American  studies,  36 
English,  22  French,  12  German,  6  Italian,  3  Austrian,  5  Belgian, 
2  Swiss,  2  Norwegian,  I  Swedish,  1  Russian,  1  Rumanian,  3  Spanish, 
1  Mexican,  1  Brazilian,  1  Scotch,  1  Canadian,  \  New  Zealand, 
1  South  African — each  based  on  numerous  hospital  and  private  cases 
or  laboratory  dissections. 

This  introduction  is  intended  to  bring  home  to  you  and  your 
friends,  dear  reader,  the  established  matler-of-factness  of  one  tobacco 
menace  that  most  people,  through  ignorance,  Imagine  to  be  a  remote 
possibility  or  of  which  they  may  never  even  have  heard. 

I    shall    now    describe    to    you    briefly    what    tobacco    amblyopia 

•     9.28.28.31.40.42.43 

Page  one  hundred  twenty -siAr 


The  conslUuiional  symptoms  are  these:  Poor  appetite;  irregular 
bowel  action;  restlessness;  sleeplessness;  lack  of  concentration;  failure 
of  memory;  impaired  sexual  functions;  disturbance  of  blood  circula- 
tion; tobacco  heart — i.  e.,  irregular  action  and  palpitation. 

Witli  or  without  any  or  all  the  general  symptoms,  the  ocular 
symptoms  are  these:  Diminution  of  sight  (from  one-half  to  one-twelfth 
of  normal,  according  to  direction  of  vision,  in  early  stage),  which  can- 
not be  helped  by  eyeglasses;  sometimes  better  seeing  in  dull  than  in 
bright  light;  complete  color  blindness  or  mistaking  of  green  for  gray, 
pink  for  blue,  and  red  for  brown  or  black;  generally  a  scotoma  (spot) 
in  the  retina,  which  is  blind — that  is,  able  to  see  nothing  when  the 
person  is  looking  in  a  certain  direction. 

Pathologically,  the  disease  Is  a  kind  of  neuritis,  ending  up  (unless 
halted)  in  atrophy  of  the  retina  or  body  of  the  optic  nerve  when  total 
blindness  results. 

If  absolute  blindness  does  not  come  about,  the  blindness  remains 
only  peripheral — that  is,  the  person  can  vaguely  make  out  what  is  on 
the  side  of  him,  and  can  guide  himself  about,  although  not  recognizing 
objects.     What  a  consolation! 

In  the  early  stage  a  cure  may  be  accomplished  by  discontinuing 
tobacco  primarily.  Where  tobacco  is  taken  up  again  the  case 
relapses.  In  the  later  stage  the  blindness  is  incurable.  The  tobacco 
addict  then  loses  his  sight  entirely  and  permanently. 

The  frequency  of  tobacco  blindness  is  indicated  by  these  figures. 
Out  of  1,500  patients  treated  by  Dr.  De  Schweinitz  in  his  own 
practice  during  a  certain  period  this  disease  numbered  7.  Hirsch- 
berg,  another  famous  oculist,  reported  a  ratio  of  6  to  1,000  of 
private  practice.  Priestly  Smith,  still  another  noted  eye  man,  re- 
ported an  average  of  12  per  1,000  in  Queen's  Hospital,  London,  and 
a  rate  of  8  per  1,000  among  his  private  patients. 

Of  course,*'  other  factors  than  tobacco  may  make  individuals  more 
or  less  liable.  For  example,  the  Turks  amd  Spaniards  seem 
racially  less  liable.  The  British  and  Germans  seem  more  liable.  Age 
seems  to  make  little  difference,  as  cases  have  been  reported  ranging 
from  25  years  to  74  years,  although  the  blindness  comes  most  often 
at  35  or  after.  Usually  fifteen  years  of  the  tobacco  habit  are 
required  to  cause  blindness,  but  Nettleship  reported  one  case  resulting 
from  only  one  year's  use  of  tobacco,  and  another  case  arising  from 
only  three  years  of  tobacco  indulgence. 

A  person's  general  run-down  condition  (and  state  of  worry. 
Indigestion,  etc.)  may  hasten  the  amblyopia,  as  may  alcoholism  or 
other  narcotic  addiction.  But  seeming  health  otherwise,  and  even 
abstinence  from  liquor,  will  not  necessarily  save  from  tobacco  polson- 

Page  one  hundred  twenty-seven 


ing;  for  the  authorities  point  out  these  circumstances:  that  where 
alcohol  and  tobacco  have  both  been  used  tobacco  is  found  to  have 
been  the  chief  offender;  and  that,  while  comparatively  few  cases 
occur  due  to  alcohol  alone,  innumerable  cases  of  toxic  amblyopia 
are  on  record  as  originating  in  tobacco  excess  and  nothing  else.  In 
fact,  thanks  to  Hirschberg,  doctors  know  how  to  distinguish  the 
symptoms  of  alcoholic  amblyopia  from  those  of  nicotinic  amblyopia. 

With  reference  to  this  disease  as  to  all  the  others,  it  is  hard  to  say 
what  amount  of  tobacco  constitutes  excess.  The  kind  of  tobacco  may 
make  a  difference  and  so  may  the  individual's  predisposition.  Sichel 
maintains  that  few  persons  can  consume  more  than  20  greummes 
(about  Iwo-ihirds  of  an  ounce)  of  tobacco  per  da^ — that  is,  14^ 
pounds  per  year — ^without  deleterious  effects  upon  vision. 

Hirschberg  says  the  limit  of  safety  is  30  grammes  per  day,  or 
one  ounce,   or,  say,  six  cigars  a  day. 

Groenouw  says  15  grammes,  or  three  cigars  daily,  may  result  in 
blindness.  Berry  says  that  from  an  ounce  of  tobacco  a  n>ee^  to  half 
a  pound  or  more  per  week   has  caused  amblyopia. 

It  all  depends;  but  ^ou  watch  out! 

As  for  the  form  of  tobacco  that  most  readily  leads  the  user  to 
blindness,  they  all  do. 

Snuff  taJiing  gives  the  fewest  cases,  yet  the  persons  who  went 
blind  no  doubt  each  felt  that  one  case  is  one  too  many. 

Snuff  dipping  (rubbing  the  snuff  on  the  gums  or  other  mucous 
membrane)  yields  more  cases.  One  authority  tells  of  a  woman  of 
35  who  was  suddenly  attacked  by  almost  total  blindness  immediately 
after  putting  an  extra  large  quantity  of  snuff  in  her  mouth. 

Next  comes  cheiving  of  tobacco,  which  is  a  quite  common  cause. 

Most  frequent  victims  are  the  smokers.  Dr.  Kollock  puts  the 
pipe  users  ahead  of  the  cigar  smof^ers,  but  generally  doctors  find 
that  the  majority  of  blindness  cases  result  from  cigar  (and  also 
cigarette,  about  equally  with  cigar)   smoking. 

As  a  mailer  of  fact,  the  method  of  introduction  of  tobacco  into 
the  system  is  unimportant.  I  have  already  told  you  that  the  nicoline 
and  other  tobacco  poisons  do  their  "dirty  work,"  whether  they 
"jimmy"  their  way  into  you  through  skin  or  mucous  membrane,  or 
are  welcomed  right  into  the  alimentary  and  respiratory  portals. 

The  scientist  Kosminsky  reported  the  case  of  a  patient  who 
applied  some  tobacco  to  a  hollow  tooth  (thinking  to  stop  the  pain) 
and  suddenly  became  completely  blind. 

Page  one  hundred  twenty-eight 


TOBACCO    POISONS    THE    ENTIRE     SYSTEM 

Results  (diseases  coupled  with  tobacco  use)  are  enough  to  con- 
vince the  layman;  but  doctors  go  further,  in  order  to  determine  how  the 
results  come  about.  Professor  Mann  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  the 
toxicity  of  tobacco''^  by  experiments  of  his  own  and  by  comparing 
the  records  of  twenty-six  French,  German,  Russian,  Austrian  and 
Italian  scientists'^  on  the  same  subject. 

As  already  intimated,  chemical  tests  showed  that  as  much  as  two- 
thirds  of  the  nicotine  in  tobacco,  and  never  less  than  a  twelfth,  passes 
into  the  mouth  with  the  smoke. 

But  smoking  is  not  the  only  conveyance  of  nicotine,  another 
channel  of  absorption  being  the  prolonged  contact  of  the  moist 
tobacco  of  the  cigarette  or  cigar  with  the  lips  of  the  smoker,  or  of 
snuff  and  cheiving  tobacco  with  tongue  and  throat.  Even  the  fingers 
may  absorb  the  toxin    as  it  passes  readily  through  the  unbroken  skin. 

When  chemistry  has  had  its  say  animal  experimentation  takes  the 
floor. 

Injecting  minute  fractional  doses  of  nicotine  into  rabbits,  cats, 
dogs,  etc.,  was  practised  long  ago;  changes  in  the  blood,  arteries, 
nerves,  etc.,  being  observed  both  before  and  after  death  resulted. 
Then  experimenters  came  closer  to  the  question,  injecting  the  con- 
densation products  of  plain  tobacco  smoJie,  which  produced  precisely 
the  same  train  of  symptoms  as  pure  nicotine. 

Dr.  L.  P.  Clark,  the  New  York  neurologist,  found  that  the 
immediate  effect  of  tobacco  on  animals,'^  even  though  deprived  of  its 
nicotine  constituent,  is  to  contract  the  pupils,  cause  difficult  respiration, 
general  convulsions  and  death. 

Dr.  Claude  Bernard,  the  great  French  physiologist,'  and  Dr. 
Hobart  Amory  Hare,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,^"  have  shown 
in  detail  the  effect  of  the  tobacco  poisons  (nicotine,  pyridine  and  gross 
tobacco  itself)  on  the  blood.  The  action  consists  of  atiacJiing  the 
haemoglobin  in  the  red  corpuscles  of  the  blood  and  brea}(ing  up  the 
white  corpuscles.  This  fact  has  been  confirmed  by  Dr.  Clark,  who 
reports  that  the  haemoglobin  content  may  fall  as  low  as  40  per  cent. 

In  human  beings  the  changes  are  only  microscopic  at  first  in  the 
case  of  the  nerves,  months  or  years  passing  before  tobacco  addiction 
registers  a  permanent  impression  upon  the  nervous  system,  altering 
the  structure.  Even  then  the  nervous  tissue  probably  receives  its 
damage  by  an  initial  alteration  of  the  blood  vessels,  which  supply 
the  nerves  with  nutrient  blood.  Dr.  Clark  has  indeed  found  coarse 
lesions  in  the  brain  and  spinal  cord.  Peripheral  neuritis  was  observed 
by  Walicka;   and  an  autopsy  revealed  the  same  changes  as  occur  in 

Page  one  hundred  twenty-nine 


the  optic  nerve   in  cases  of   tobacco  blindness.      Parsons  and  Pandi 
observed  the  same  nerve  degeneration  as  Walicka. 

Histologically  and  microscopically,  therefore,  the  specialists  have 
observed  (generally  by  experiment  on  lower  sunimals)  what  happens 
in  the  tissues  (blood,  nerves,  etc.)  to  correspond  with  the  symptoms 
that  are  generally  well  known  in  human  beings  and  are  recorded  by 
doctors  from  observation  of  their  patients. 

When  the  use  of  tobacco  is  commenced  the  individual  often  gets 
a  taste  of  acute  nicotine  poisoning:  nausea,  vomiting,  giddiness,  intense 
malaise,  weakness  and  (if  the  dose  is  strong  enough)  burning  pains 
in  the  stomach,  purging,  free  urination,  delirium,  rapid  and  then  im- 
perceptible pulse,  cramps  in  limbs,  cold  clammy  skin,  collapse,  death. 

The  compilers  of  works  on  materia  medica  get  their  facts  from 
just  such  reports  of  experiment  and  practice.  So  Potter"  summarizes 
thus:  "The  continued  use  of  tobacco,  by  smoJiing  or  chewing  it  to 
excess,  produces  granular  inflammalion  of  the  fauces  and  pharynx, 
atroph})  of  the  retina,  dyspepsia,  lowered  sexual  power,  sudden  faints, 
nervous  depression,  cardiac  irritability  and  occasionally  angina  peC' 
toris.  It  has  been  credited  with  causing  cancer  of  the  lips  and  tongue, 
blunting  of  the  moral  sense,  mental  aberration  and  even  insanity. 
The  'tobacco  heart'  includes  many  forms  of  nervous,  painful  or 
oppressed  cardiac  action.  A  synergistic  action  has  been  observed 
by  the  author  between  opium  and  tobacco." 

The  following  conclusions  are  reached  by  Dr.  Clark  and  Dr. 
Mann: 

The  genera!  efFect  of  pyridine  on  the  nerves  is  to  induce  paralysis 
of  respiration  and  depress  the  functions  of  the  spinal  cord. 

It  is  fairly  well  proved  that  tobacco  is  a  cardio-vascular  poison — 
that  Is,  it  acts  on  heart  and  blood  vessels  primarily. 

In  chronic  tobacco  poisoning,  additional  to  the  diminution  of  red 
corpuscles  in  the  blood  already  mentioned,  there  is  more  or  less 
gastro- enteritis  of  a  hemorrhagic  character,  ecchymosis  occurs  in  the 
pleura  and  peritoneum,  and  hyperemia  (blood  congestion)  Is  found  in 
the  lungs,  brain  and  spinal  cord. 

Inasmuch  as  the  brain  Is  the  center  of  the  nervous  system,  with 
branches  emerging  from  the  brain's  continuation  down  the  spine, 
whatever  affects  the  nerve  centers  affects  the  brain;  and  inasmuch 
as  the  whole  body  mechanism  works  by  nerve  control,  nerve  degenera' 
tion  may  result  in  bodily  disorder  of  any  and  every  sort,  including 
the  heart  and  circulation.  And,  of  course,  the  nerves  must  be  kept 
in  order  by  the  blood  supply.  So  you  can  see  for  yourself  the 
vicious  circle  of  Interacting  ruin  inaugurated  by  tobacco. 

The  double  action,  of  depressed  nerve  control  and  contaminated 
blood  supply,  on  the  muscles    is  demonstrated  by  the  series  of  experl- 

Page  one  hundred  thirty 


ments  on  Mosso's  ergograph  by  Dr.  W.  Perrin  Lombard,  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,'*  to  this  effect:  The  administration  of 
even  moderate  amounts  of  tobacco  in  the  form  of  smoke  loraered 
the  Vforliing  poiver  of  the  human  muscle  by  a  large  percentage.  The 
result  was  the  diminution  of  muscular  power,  five  to  ten  minutes  after 
commencing  to  smoke  an  ordinary  cigar,  to  about  one-fourth. 

Minute  animal  observation  of  the  pathology  of  tobacco's  poisonous 
effect  on  heart  and  blood  vessels  showed  an  inflammation  and 
degenerative  thickening  and  hardening  of  the  walls  of  the  aorta — the 
big  blood  vessel  adjoining  the  heart.  There  was  a  formation  of 
plaques  and  little  sacs  on  the  inside  of  the  arteries,  spreading  to  the 
arteries  in  the  thoracic  and  abdominal  regions,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  thigh.  These  changes  closely  resemble  the  old-age  changes  in 
human  beings. 

So  tobacco  may  be  said  to  present  a  ready  way  of  growing  old 
quickly. 


TOBACCO  IS  NEVER  HARMLESS 

As  Dr.  Newton  relates,  the  grand  old  professor  of  pathology  in 
Columbia  University  Medical  College  (the  late  Dr.  Francis  Delafield) 
once  said  to  him:  "Doctor,  no  one  ever  used  tobacco  in  any  amount, 
at  an'y  time,"  without  some  injury."  And  a  famous  English  professor 
of  medicine^  puts  it  this  way:  "But  apart  from  the  greater  evils, 
how  many  of  the  excessive  tobacco  users  escape  dyspeptic  troubles, 
flatulence,  capricious  appetite,  irritation  of  the  throat,  attacks  of 
insomnia,  exaggerated  cardiac  action  and  insurmountable  periods  of 
gloom  and  depression?" 

Dr.  Rochard's^  experience  shows  that  nearly  all  excessive  smokers 
are  dyspeptics.  The  next  most  common  affections  are  of  the  lungs 
and  heart.  Other  doctors  as  well  as  himself,  to  his  knowledge,  had 
met  with  cases  of  angina  poctoris  due  to  tobacco. 

The  question  may  also  arise  as  to  what  amount  of  tobacco  con- 
stitutes excess.  Dr.  Turney^*  gave  as  his  estimate-  anything  more  than 
a  quarter  pound  of  tobacco  per  week  in  pipe,  five  Havana  cigars  or 
ten  cigarettes  daily;  and  further  on  this  insurance  examiner  explains 
that  he  and  his  colleagues  are  not  interested  in  ordinary  human  diseases, 
but  are,  of  course,  concerned  only  with  immediate  forerunners  of 
death! 

Neither  I  nor  anyone  else  can  say  arbitrarily  what  Is  excess  for 
everybody.  And  because,  as  Dr.  Clark  says,  the  signs  of  heart 
failure,  etc.,  do  not  crop  out  for  a  long  time,  you  cannot  know  in 
advance  what  will  not  hurt  you.  Furthermore,  you  are  dealing  with 
a  habit-forming  drug'^  which  soon  overrides  discretion. 

Page    one   hundred    thirty-one 


TOBACCO    CAUSES    HEART    FAILURE,    HARDENING 

OF    THE    ARTERIES,    LOSS    OF    MEMORY, 

EPILEPSY,    PARALYSIS,    GENITAL 

WEAKNESS    AND    APOPLEXY 

Nor  does  ihe  victim  of  the  lobacco  habit  generally  get  off  with 
chronic  dyspeptic  and  other  misery;  far  worse  may  develop  or 
already  exist  unknown.  Professor  Mann"^  in  reporting  that  excessive 
tobacco  indulgence  may  lead  to  sudden  (painless)  attacks  of  heart 
failure,  in  some  instances  fatal,  cites  one  case  of  a  man  of  about 
45  years  of  age.  This  man  had  long  suffered  from  indigestion  and 
flatulence.  He  had  a  sudden  attack  of  syncope  without  apparent 
cause.  He  was  revived  but  relapsed  again  and  again.  Shortly 
after,  he  died  of  heart  failure.  The  patient  had  stated  he  had  not 
at  any  time  suffered  from  any  Illness  beyond  the  indigestion.  He 
had  smoked  ten  cigars  and  upward  per  day  for  a  number  of  years. 

Heart  trouble  Is  indeed  so  well  known  a  sequel  of  tobacco  indul- 
gence, In  innumerable  cases,  that  the  reader  can  no  doubt  from  his 
(or  her)  own  experience  confirm  the  absolute  "a,  b,  c"  truth  of 
Dr.  Lichty's"  Important  observation  of  the  prohibition  of  tobacco  b\f 
doctors  as  soon  as  heart  symptoms  appear — as  practical  a  proof  as 
can  be  desired  that  tobacco  is  the  guilty  factor.     I  quote: 

"That  tobacco  Is  a  causative  factor  In  heart  and  blood-vessel 
diseases  is  apparent  In  this — that  tobacco  Is  promptly  excluded  in  the 
treatment  In  all  diseases  of  the  heart  and  arteries, 

"Dr.  HIrschfelder,  of  Johns  Hopkins  University  Medical  School, 
author  of  a  classic  treatise  on  diseases  of  the  heart  and  aorta,  says: 
'Tobacco  should  be  absolutely  excluded  In  both  organic  and  func- 
tional cases.'  Dr.  Abrams,  of  California,  places  tobacco  non-use 
ahead  of  alcohol  In  both  prevention  and  treatment  of  heart  diseases. 
Bovaird,  of  the  Columbia  University  Medical  School,  New  York,  is 
equally  emphatic  In  demanding  immediate  abstinence  in  all  heart  affec- 
tions. Similar  quotations  of  eminent  authors  could  be  continued  ad 
infinitum — and  the  users  will  say  ad  nauseam.  Dawn  is  coming.  If 
abstinence  aids  to  cure,  why  not  total  abstinence  to  prevent?  Nowhere 
would  the  adage  of  ounce  of  prevention  and  pound  of  cure  be  more 
appropriate." 

Dr.  Mann  and  the  twenty-six  International  authorities  with  whose 
findings  he  compared  notes  kept  a  record  of  the  symptoms  observable 
In  tobacco  users:  indigestion,  heart  palpitation,  eye  TveaJ^ness,  color 
blindness— in  the  early  stage;  chronic  diseases  of  all  sorts — in  the  later 
stage.  They,  too,  found  in  lower  animals  (since  human  beings  can't 
be  cut  open  for  purposes  of  investigation,  yet  must  be  saved  by 
knowledge  gained  somehow)  that  nicotine,  tobacco  and  tobacco  smoke 
attacked  the  heart  and  arteries  and  resulted  In  what  humanly  cor- 
responds to  arteriosclerosis — hardening  of  the  arteries. 

Page  one  hundred  thirty-two 


As  far  back  as  1889  authorities  declared  that  without  doubt 
tobacco  can  produce  arteriosclerosis^  angina  pectoris,  degeneration  of 
the  myocardium  and  other  circulatory  disorders.  Clinical  observa- 
tions of  individual  cases  by  specialists  have  confirmed  the  general 
belief. 

One  authority  investigated  the  causes  of  d})sbasia  angiosclerolica — 
intermittent  limp.  He  concluded  that  there  was  no  longer  any  doubt 
as  to  the  important  part  played  by  excessive  tobacco  use  in  the 
causation  of  arteriosclerosis  and  allied  conditions,  such  as  contracting 
^idne^,  degeneration  of  the  myocardium,  angina  pectoris,  etc.  This 
doctor  (the  famous  Erb)  searched  further  and  finally  tabulated  thirty- 
eight  such  cases  of  men,  comprising  ten  heavy  smokers  and  fifteen 
extremely  heavy  smokers — that  is,  twenty-five  out  of  thirty-eight — 
and  of  these  twenty-five  excessive  smokers  fourteen  showed  histories 
which  excluded  all  other  possible  causal  agencies  (such  as  syphilis, 
alcohol  indulgence,  diabetes,  etc.),  and  left,  as  the  sole  etiological 
factor,  tobacco. 

Muskal  says  that  the  abuse  of  tobacco  stands  prominently  to  the 
front  as  a  cause  of  angiosclerosis  and  a  forerunner  of  gangrene, 

Schlesinger"  tabulated  fifty  cases  of  intermittent  limping.  Forty- 
six  (over  90  per  cent.)  were  smokers.  Of  these,  fifteen  were 
moderate  smokers  and  thirty-one  heavy  smokers. 

The  broad  interest  of  intermittent  limping  is,  of  course,  its  relation 
to  hardening  of  the  arteries.  Change  in  arterial  pressure,  says  Dr. 
Turney,"  is  the  beginning  of  the  end.    He  cites  the  following  tests: 

Dr.  Troitzki  examined  «ix  hundred  smokers.  In  most  of  them 
the  pulse  rate  increased.  Another  Russian  medical  man  found  the 
average  pulse  rate  of  non-smokers  71.55;  of  smokers,  81.24.  Two 
Russian  students,  Nikolai  and  Strachelin,  practised  on  themselves  for 
a  long  period.  They  tried  to  live  as  they  always  had,  except  that 
they  smoked  six  to  eight  cigars  a  day.  During  the  non-smoking  period 
the  pulse  rate  was  74.5;   duriag  tha  smoking  period    81.6. 

Here  in  America^  Prof.  Wm.  A.  McKeever,  of  the  University 
of  Kansas,  has  made  similar  tests,  showing  the  weakening  of  the 
force  and  the  increase  of  the  rate  of  the  heart  beat  as  a  result  of 
tobacco  use. 

Dr.  Harlow  Brooks,"  of  New  York,  visiting  physician  to  the 
City  Hospital,  Montefiore  Hospital,  etc.,  summarizes  his  experience 
with  cases  of  "tobacco  heart"  as  follows:  "Tobacco  produces 
symptoms  referable  to  the  heart,  of  a  very  definite  and  characteristic 
type.  There  is  an  increase  in  pulse  rate  and  a  rise  in  blood  pressure, 
followed  by  a  slowing  of  rate  and  lowering  of  pressure  eventually. 
Prolonged  excessive  administration  of  tobacco  produces  arrhythmia 
and    intermission.      These    symptoms    are    more    or    less    persistently 

Page   one  hundred  thirty-three 


accompanied  by  a  sense  of  weight  or  pain  of  a  dull  character  in  the 
region  of  the  heart." 

Klemperer  records  two  well-marked  cases  of  arteriosclerosis,  which 
he  attributes  solely  to  excessive  smoJiing,  for  neither  had  suffered  from 
syphilis  or  infectious  disease,  and  both  had  been  abstainers  from 
liquors,  nor  had  either  of  them  ever  been  subjected  to  special  mental 
strain.  One  was  37  years  old  and  had  smoked  about  thirty  cigarettes 
daily  for  twenty  years.  The  other's  age  was  44,  and  for  the  last 
ten  years  he  rarely  smoked  less  than  ten  cigarettes  daily. 

As  has  already  been  explained,"  chewing  and  snuffing  are  as 
dangerous  as — and  in  some  respects  more  than — smoking. 

Professor  L.  von  Frankel-Hochwarl,  the  authority  on  neuro- 
pathology,®^ kept  a  sixteen-year  record  of  the  amount  of  tobacco  con- 
sumed by  his  patients.  He  reported  1,500  cases  of  severe  nicotinism. 
Excluding  from  that  number  800  cases  in  whom  other  toxic  factors 
might  have  been  involved,  700  clear  cases  remain. 

Fifty  cases  placed  defects  of  memory  in  the  fore.  One  of  these 
cases,  where  the  tobacco  habit  was  overcome,  showed  an  abatement 
of  the  defect. 

Thirteen  cases  had  spells  when  they  lost  consciousness. 

Sixteen  cases  ended  in  apoplexy.  These  were  comparatively 
young  men. 

Among  Dr.  Hochwart's  very  heavy  smokers,  there  were  fourteen 
epileptics.  In  nine  of  these  cases  some  trace  or  possible  antecedent 
existed  in  childhood;  but  in  five  there  were  no  other  factors  hut 
tobacco. 

Not  infrequently  the  loss  of  memory  was  specially  one  of  words; 
manifested  by  defects  in  speech  and  in  writing. 

Forty  cases  showed  eye  trouble:  specks  before  the  eyes,  sense  of 
pressure  on  the  head,  nicotinic  amblyopia,  color  vision  impaired, 
dilation  of  pupil. 

Cases  of  difficult  hearing  were  numerous. 

Thirty-one  caes  suffered  with  neuralgia  and  motor-nerve  affec- 
tions, twenty- two  of  these  being  in  the  arm.  A  lawyer,  age  30,  con- 
tracted paralysis  of  the  arm,  attributable  to  no  cause  other  than  tobacco. 

One  hundred  and  ten  cases  were  troubled  with  general  nervous 
pain,  particularly  in  the  extremities,  chest  and  back. 

Seventy  young  men  (heavy  smokers)  complained  of  considerable 
abnormality  in  the  genital  function.  Many  of  them  gave  up  tobacco 
and  improved  their  condition. 

In  these  various  cases  tobacco  was  the  sole  criminal.  Dr.  Hoch- 
wart    had    many    additional    cases    in    which    tobacco   was    certainly 

Page  one  hundred  thirty-four 


**particeps  cr'imlnls.**  Among  forty-five  cases  of  syphilitic  apoplexy, 
twenty  had  been  heavy  smokers.  Among  583  cases  of  general 
paralysis,  198  were  heavy  smokers.  This  means  44  per  cent,  in  the 
former,  34  per  cent,  in  the  latter  category;  whereas  the  professor's 
experience  indicated  that  an  average  proportion  should  not  have 
exceeded  20  per  cent.  It  was  clear  to  him  that  tobacco,  as  a  cause, 
made  up  the  difference. 

TOBACCO    REDUCES    EFFICIENCY 

Let  us  get  "right  down  to  brass  lacks."  The  mind  is  no  longer  the 
mystery  that  it  used  to  be.  Its  study  is  the  science  of  psychology, 
having  well-established  laws  and  methods.  Dr.  Arthur  Dermont 
Bush,  of  the  University  of  Vermont,  very  recently  worked  out  an 
elaborate  series  of  tests^^  in  perception,  association  of  ideas,  visual 
memory,  auditory  memory,  imagery,  calculation  and  other  technical 
requirements,  making  a  dozen  in  all.  Each  consisted  of  five  parts 
before  and  five  after  a  fifteen-minute  quiet  smoke.  Pipes,  cigars 
and  cigarettes  were  used.  The  full  120  tests  were  applied  to  each 
of  fifteen  men.  The  total  were  averaged  per  man  and  then  for  all, 
as  between  before  and  after.  Result,  a  mental  efficiency  decrease 
of  slightly  over  W  per  cent. 

Weakening  and  loss  of  memory  have  already  been  noted  as 
symptoms  in  actual  cases  reported  by  Dr.  Hochwart.  Dr.  Charles 
Gatchell,  of  Chicago,  and  many  other  doctors  are  likewise  convinced 
by  observation^*'"^^'^'  that  tobacco  indulgence  injures  the  power  to 
remember  and  general  mental  control. 

Dr.  George  J.  Fisher'^  has  also  conducted  scientific  tests  on  the 
effects  of  tobacco  and  found  that  the  subjects  could  not  concentrate 
as  well  while  or  shortly  after  using  tobacco. 

So  much  for  the  actual  comparative  tests  in  the  laboratory  manner. 
A  plenitude  of  common  statistics  also  bear  out  the  same  conclusion. 

Rochard^  cites  Decaisne  to  the  effect  that  smokers  stand  lower  in 
their  classes  in  the  French  colleges;  Bartillon,  G.  Dore  and  Elie 
Joubert  say  the  same  for  the  pupils  of  the  Polytechnic  School;  and 
Dr.  Constant  found  the  same  situation  in  the  Normal  and  Naval 
Schools   and  in  the  School  of  Bridges  and  Roads. 

In  America  the  case  is  no  different. 

The  principal  of  a  private  school  in  the  East^^  reported  that  of  the 
boys  in  his  school,  17  years  of  age  or  over,  71  per  cent, 
smoked;  that  therefore  the  smokers  were  not  all  the  naturally  stupid 
ones;  that  the  non-smokers  achieved  an  average  scholarship  grade 
of  85  per  cent,  while  the  smokers  averaged  68  per  cent. 

A  Columbia  University  professor^^  gathered  statistics  regarding 
a   class   of   223    students — 115    smokers    and    108   non-smokers.      The 

Page   one   hundred   thirty-five 


Ialler*8   scholarship    grade   averaged   69   per    cent.,    the    former's   only 
62  per  cent.    The  test  covered  two  years. 

Dr.  Dio  Lewis^"  stated  that  at  Harvard  College,  during  fift^ 
years,  although  five  out  of  every  six  of  the  students  were  addicted  to 
the  use  of  tobacco,  not  one  of  the  tobacco  users  had  ever  graduated 
at  the  head  of  his  class. 

A  Clark  College  professor'*  found  thai  of  201  students  ninety- 
three  were  smokers  and  108  were  not;  of  the  latter,  68  per  cent, 
won  honors;  of  the  former,  only  18  per  cent. 

Still  another  compilation  concerning  college  men'^  deals  with  other 
qualities  than  mental  acquisitiveness,  viz.,  will  power,  stamina  and 
also  physical  prowess,  as  called  forth  in  trials  to  make  the  football 
team.  Six  colleges  gave  their  records.  In  the  following  table  the 
percentage  representing  the  number  of  men  who  made  the  team  is 
given  in  each  case — for  the  non-smokers  on  top,  the  smokers  below: 


A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

58 

68 

82 

67 

80 

58 

18 

40 

25 

39 

70 

0 

This  looks  almost  like  conspiracy  against  nicotine;  but  figures 
don't  lie.  And  the  proof  that  it  isn't  a  liar  who's  figuring  is  in  the  fact 
that  I  give  you  the  reference"^  and  you  can  verify  the  records. 

These  football  aspirants,  sized  up  scholastically  in  individual 
ratings,  averaged  as  follows — the  arrangement  is  the  same  as  in  the 
first  case: 


A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

69.8 

74.6 

81.1 

77.6 

84.8 

71.3 

65.2 

64.7 

78.8 

75.8 

84.6 

69.6 

Averaging  these  and  the  records  of  six  other  institutions,  non- 
smokers  average  79.4  per  cent,  and  smokers  74.5  per  cent.  Eighty- 
two  smokers  furnished  seventy  failures  and  backward  students;  ninety- 
eight  non-smokers  furnished  only  forty-three. 

Any  individual  user  of  tobacco  can  test  him-  or  herself  in  the 
every-day  duties  of  life  and  become  satisfied  that  tobacco  is  a  handicap. 

In  spite  of  the  too  prevalent  ignorance  and  apathy  on  the  subject, 
already  straws  appear  on  the  surface  of  life's  sea  to  indicate  the 
direction  of  the  current;  and  prominent  business  men,  to  whom 
efficiency  is  synonymous  with  survival  and  success,  are  waking  up  to 
the  dangers  of  tobacco.     Many  instances"'^*  could  be  cited. 

Here  is  a  fair  specimen:  The  Gurney  Heating  Company,  of 
Boston,    says:      "We   believe   our   company    gets   better   service   from 

Page  one  hundred  thirty-six 


non-smokers;  and  to  abstain  from  tobacco  will  be  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  individual  in  later  years,  both  from  a  physical  and  a 
mental  standpoint." 

TOBACCO    POISONS  NON-USERS 

Many  an  individual  who  imagines  himself  to  be  quite  unselfish 
little  realizes  how  hrulall^  inconsiderate  he  actually  is;  or  else  he 
would  not  persist  in  his  indulgence  in  tobacco — if  he  only  knew 
what  injury  he  is  wreaking  upon  others  than  himself.  That  most 
women's  delicate  nerves  are  greatly  affected  by  the  odor  and  sub- 
stance of  tobacco  fumes  is  a  fact  so  well  known  that  it  needs  no 
elaboration  here.  Similarly  I  shall  not  deal  with  the  host  of  facts 
of  common  knowledge  in  the  same  class  as  that  just  mentioned;  but  I 
will  indeed  present  to  you  some  data  upon  the  vital  phases  of  the 
situation. 

We  come  now  to  the  conjugal  and  parental  relationship.  Most 
of  us  marry.  Most  of  us  have  or  expect  to  have  children.  That's 
a  good  slice  of  life,  if  not  all  of  it.  Any  man,  worthy  of  the  name, 
takes  earnest  pride  in  the  welfare  of  his  wife  and  children.  As 
individuals,  as  a  family  group,  as  a  nation,  as  a  race,  we  want  to 
"make  good." 

According  to  Dr.  Lichty"  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  when 
alkaloid  poisons,  such  as  those  of  tobacco,  attack  the  human  system, 
breaking  into  the  very  nuclei  of  the  microscopic  tissue  cells,  ihe 
sperm  (or  seed)  plasm  should  not  escape  injury. 

I  have  already  referred  to  cases  of  genital  trouble  resulting  from 
tobacco  excess  (Dr.  Hochwart's  records)  and  to  Potter's  declaration 
that  tobacco  indulgence  may  lower  sexual  politer. 

These  proofs  seem  to  fit  in  with  Professor  Kelly's  recent  emphasis 
of  the  figures  fathered  by  Dr.  Morrow,^^  that  only  17  per  cent,  to 
25  per  cent,  sterile  marriages  due  to  the  husband's  incapacity  arise 
from  gonorrhea,  leaving  75  per  cent,  of  such  cases  unaccounted  for 
and  presumptive  of  other  toxins  at  work — among  them,  no  doubt, 
tobacco. 

Food  for  similar  thought  is  offered  by  the  1911  United  States 
Census  Bureau  reports,  that  42  per  cent,  of  infants  dying  before 
reaching  the  age  of  one  year  did  not  live  to  complete  the  first  month 
of  existence;  that  of  the  latter  10  per  cent,  died  because  of  prenatal 
conditions;  that  83  per  cent,  of  those  living  less  than  a  week  died 
of  parental  toxic  taint;  and  that  99  per  cent,  of  those  that  lived 
less  than  a  day   died  of  parental  toxins. 

When  tobacco  narcotization  does  not  rob  the  parent  of  potency 
altogether,  nor  kill   the  infant  that  does   see   the  light  of  day,   there 

Page  one   hundred  thirty-seven 


is  still  (according  to  the  Proceedings  of  the  Conference  on  Race 
Betterment  already  referred  to)  the  danger  of  lowering  the  grade 
of  stock  by  heredity.  Breeders  of  horses,  cows  and  pigs  take 
advantage  of  the  laws  of  heredity.  Why  should  humans  ignore  those 
laws?  Even  if  specific  habits  or  ailments  are  not  handed  down,  there 
is  no  doubt  of  the  transmission  of  a  tendency  or  liability  to  weakness 
or  disease  imbedded  in  the  nervous  system.  Alcoholism  and  syphilis 
have  long  been  recognized  as  causes  of  degeneracy.  Now  an  eminent 
scientist^*  concludes,  from  a  study  of  several  thousand  cases  in  his 
clinic,  that  the  localization  of  the  toxic  action  of  nicotine  is  very 
much  like  that  of  syphilis. 

A  London  doctor  of  wide  private  and  hospital  practice"  spent 
well-nigh  a  lifetime  compiling  records,  which  he  has  studied  and 
tabulaled  without  bias,  so  as  to  throw  light  on  the  influences  affecting 
what  might  be  called  eugenics.  The  details  make  interesting  reading, 
but  are  rather  voluminous.    Yet  certain  summaries  can  be  given  here. 

Fifty-seven  smokers'  families  and  thirty-eight  non-smokers*  families 
are  considered.  Multiplied  proportionally  so  as  to  be  figured  on  a 
rate  of  1,000  wives  in  each  case,  the  births  in  smokers'  families 
totaled  6,859;  in  non-smokers'  families  7,368;  an  advantage  of  509 
children.  An  interesting  incidental  fact  is  that  the  gain  in  male 
children  was  728,  but  the  number  of  female  children  was  219  more 
in  the  smokers'  families — which,  says  Dr.  Tidswell,  may  be  taken  to 
indicate  a  loss  of  masculinity. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  number  of  conceptions  in  smokers' 
families  exceeded  the  number  in  the  other  class,  but  the  loss  by  still 
births  and  miscarriages  was  twice  as  great — which  fact  is  in  line 
with  Dr.  Lichty's  inductions   from  the  United  States  census  figures. 

Additional  tables  of  figures  give  the  information  that  wives  of 
tobacco  users  suffered,  in  excessive  numbers,  abscesses  as  well  as 
abortions. 

Dr.  Tidswell  also  cites  the  reports  of  Dr.  Kostial,  who  investi- 
gated conditions  of  the  working  men  and  women  in  Austrian  tobacco 
factories.  These  factories  had  modern  arrangements  and  were  well 
ventilated.  Most  of  the  workers  were  pallid  and  breathless — par- 
ticularly the  girls  and  women — 72  per  cent,  of  the  boys  under  16 
fell  sick  generally  in  the  first  six  weeks  of  employment.  Among  the 
women  who  were  mothers  and  suckled  their  infants,  there  was  often 
inflammation  of  the  breasts  and  the  milk  smelled  strongly  of  tobacco; 
and  of  506  births  in  three  years  eleven  were  still  births  and  206 
of  the  babes  died  soon  after  birth — 101  dying  of  brain  disease  with 
convulsions. 

These  facts,  and  other  similar  ones,  were  related  at  an  inter- 
national congress  of  medical  men. 

Page  one  hundred  thirty-eight 


While  many  different  circumstances  may  be  conceived  as  entering 
into  the  cases  cited,  yet  once  again  physiological  research  comes  to 
reinforce  the  obvious  results — in  this  instance  exemplified  by  the  find- 
ing of  nicotine  in  the  amniotic  fluid  surrounding  the  foetus,  the  embryo 
or  unborn  child. 

Kostial  Is  not  by  any  means  the  only  Investigator  upon  whom  we 
must  depend.  According  to  the  New  York  (State)  Factory  Investi- 
gating Commission's  Report:*^  Patissier,  Richardson,  James,  Moral, 
Brodie,  and  also  Kostial,  have  noted  menorrhagia  among  femaJe 
tobacco  workers;  and  Talbot  has  related  Spanish,  French,  Cuban  and 
American  statistics  on  female  employees  in  tobacco  factories,  support- 
ing the  idea  that  the  occupational  effects  of  this  work  are  frequent 
miscarriage,  high  rate  of  infant  mortalit}),  defective  children  and 
infantile  convulsions. 

The  New  York  commission  just  referred  to  employed  Dr.  Fanny 
Dembo,  assisted  by  Dr.  Arnovich,  to  make  a  physical  examination 
of  a  certain  number  (600  in  New  York  City)  of  female  tobacco 
workers;  and  the  results  coincided  with  the  results  of  similar  examina- 
tions made  in  European  countries.  Factories  were  visited,  varying 
in  size  from  one  employing  forty-three  workers,  thirty  of  whom  were 
women,  to  one  employing  1,300  workers,  1,200  of  whom  were  women. 
All  the  branches  of  the  tobacco  industry  were  included:  cigars, 
cigarettes,  chewing  and  smoking  tobacco,  snuff.  The  reason  for 
purposeful  variety  in  the  examination  was  to  make  the  Investigation 
representative.  For  example,  about  one-third  of  the  600  were  native 
(American)  born,  the  rest  being  Austrian,  Bohemian,  English,  German, 
Greek,  Hungarian,  Irish,  Italian,  Polish,  Russian,  Slovak,  Turkish 
and  others.  And  the  number  of  years  the  workers  had  been  in  the 
trade  varied  from  one  to  twenty. 

Here  are  some  of  the  results  of  the  commission's  examination 
through  Dr.  Dembo:  On/t;  28  per  cent,  of  the  600  ivomen  ivere 
free  from  disease;  18  per  cent,  suffered  from  consumption,  anemia 
or  rheumatism;  28  per  cent,  suffered  from  eye,  ear,  nose  or  nerve 
trouble;  5  per  cent.,  heart  or  veins  and  arteries  diseased;  6  per  cent., 
bronchitis,  laryngitis,  pleurisy;  26  per  cent.,  pharyngitis  and  tonsilitis; 
24  per  cent.,  indigestion,  etc.;  23  per  cent.,  sexual  irregularity;  1  per 
cent.,  skin  diseases  (one  case  being  contagious)  ;  9  per  cent.,  curvature 
of  the  spine,  etc.    Total  number  for  the  600  subjects:  804  maladies. 

Particular  emphasis  is  laid  by  Dr.  Dembo  on  the  disorders  of 
female  private  functions,  thus  confirming  the  evidence  already  cited 
(e.  g..  Dr.  Tidswell's  extensive  and  intensive  study)  on  the  subject  of 
tobacco's  influence  on  the  human  race  as  such. 

"Medical  journals,"  states  The  Tohacco  Prohlem,^^  "report  the 
po'soning  of  hahes  from  sharing  the  bed  of  a  tobacco-addicted  father, 
and  even  from  being  in  the  room  where  he  smoked. 

Page  one  hundred  thirty-nine 


*'Says  Dr.  Trail:  'Many  an  infant  has  been  Jellied  outright  in 
its  cradle  by  the  tobacco  smoke  with  which  a  thoughtless  father  filled 
an  unventilated  room.'  " 

Thus  Demon  Nicotine  oul-herods  Herod  in  the  slaughter  of  the 
innocents. 

So  we  see  that  tobacco  presence  is  harmful  to  mothers  and  their 
infants,  to  boys  and  girls,  to  women  in  general,  from  the  standpoint  of 
their  sexual  function  and  otherwise — even  when  these  persons  do  not 
themselves  smoke,  chew  or  snuff  the  tobacco.  And  we  also  see  how 
wife  and  children  and  prospective  children  are  damaged  when  husband 
(and  father)  uses  tobacco. 

I  have  emphasized  the  effect  of  tobacco  presence  (particularly 
tobacco  work)  on  girls  and  women,  because  for  them  it  cannot  be 
claimed  that  they  generally  use  tobacco  themselves,  and  thus  subject 
themselves  to  the  ill-effects  of  using  tobacco,  but  rather  the  conclusion 
must  stand  out  that  they  are  injured  even  though  not  using  the  tobacco 
themselves,  and  also  because  of  the  indirect  harm  thus  done  to 
offspring. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  while  it  may  be  that  factory  con- 
ditions are  better  to-day  than  they  used  to  be  (and  may  continue  to 
improve),  it  appears  evident  that  the  tobacco  industry  does  and  must, 
in  the  nature  of  the  case,  prove  harmful  to  the  workers — not  only 
women  (as  already  cited),  but  also  boys  and  men. 

According  to  the  annual  report*^  of  President  George  W.  Perkins, 
of  the  International  Cigarmakers'  Union,  in  1912,  over  20  per  cent, 
of  the  members  who  died  in  1911  were  victims  of  tuberculosis. 
And  in  that  same  year  over  20  per  cent,  of  the  money  paid  out  for 
sick  bene&ts   was  paid  for  the  care  of  consumptive  members. 

In  the  further  proceedings  of  the  New  York  Factory  Investigating 
Commission  this  fact  appears:  Dr.  Robert  J.  Talbot,  an  expert 
investigator,  testified  that  the  dusty  trades  (including  tobacco)  produce 
more  consumption  than  an^  other  trade. 

The  Occupational  Statistics  for  Tuberculosis  in  Wisconsin, 
gathered  by  the  statistician  of  the  State  Bureau  of  Vital  Statistics, 
show  that  from  October  1,  1906,  to  December  31,  1908,  the  general 
death  rate  from  tuberculosis  in  that  State  was  238  per  100,000, 
while  the  death  rate  from  tuberculosis  among  cigarmal^ers  and  other 
tobacco  TiforJ^crs  was  994 — more  than  four  times  as  many! 

The  1909  Bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor  of  the  United  States 
Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor"  gave  the  national  figures  of 
mortality  (from  all  causes)  for  cigar  and  other  tobacco  workers,  as 
compared  with  persons  in  other  manufacturing  lines  and  with  those 
employed  in  mercantile  lines,  per  thousand: 

Page  one  hundred  forty 


Age  at  death  Tobacco  workers  Other  mfg.  Mercantile 

15—24                 5.85  4.43  2.60 

25—44                14.59  8.35  6.72 

45—64                 30.97  20.16  19.91 

Over  64              120.61  105.43  93.79 

The    preceding    general    census    had    shown    the    following    com- 
parative figures  for  deaths  per  thousand: 

Frona  consumption    Other  causes 

Draymen,    hackmen,    teamsters 2.6  1.7 

Millers   2.0  4.1 

Bakers   and   confectioners 2.5  1.6 

Leather  makers   3.1  1.9 

Leather  workers   2.3  1.6 

Boot  and  shoe  makers 1 .4  1 .2 

Cigarmakers   and   other   tobacco   workers  4.8  3«2 

I  shall  not  stop  to  elaborate  the  notion  which  the  reader  cannot 
be  blamed  for  gathering,  namely,  that  the  smokers,  chewers  and 
snuflfers  are  menaced  by  the  additional  evil  of  contaminalion,  in  so  far 
as  they  consume  the  products  prepared  by  workers  who  because  of 
their  occupation  (as  statistics  indicate)  are  victims  of  consumption 
and  other  diseases.  Dr.  Baldwin,'*^  the  tuberculosis  expert  of  Saranac 
Lake,  N.  Y.,  demonstrated  that  the  living  tubercle  bacilli  can  be 
disseminated  by  the  hands,  of  the  consumptive,  which  receive  the 
microbes  because  of  sputum  infection.  In  the  International  RevieU) 
of  Tuberculosis^^  appeared  an  article  on  tuberculosis  transmitted  by 
cigars  obtained  by  the  victim  from  a  consumptive  cigar-worker. 
In  the  Medico-Legal  Journal  Dr.  D.  D.  Stevens,^''  of  New  York, 
related  his  observations  of  tobacco  work  in  New  York  City,  as  well 
as  in  Southern  States  and  neighboring  islands,  speaking  of  workers 
handling  tobacco  who  in  his  opinion  should  have  been  in  a  hospital, 
telling  of  refuse  mixed  with  scrap  tobacco,  later  to  be  sold  for  manu- 
facture, testifying  that  he  saw  a  cigarmaker  licking  the  tip  of  a  cigar 
fast  with  his  tongue.  The  New  York  Factory  Commission's  Report 
(Appendices  II  and  IV  of  vol.  II)  contains  a  photograph  of  a 
cigarette  worker  licking  the  cigarette  papers  with  lips  and  tongue 
(as,  it  was  reported,  is  the  custom  when  the  paste  dries),  and  many 
photographs  of  filthy  tenement  surroundings  in  which  cigars  and 
cigarettes  are  manufactured — one  reproducing  a  cellar  in  ihe  notorious 
Mulherr)f  Street  district,  another  a  room  next  door  a  case  of  measles. 
One  of  my  own  investigators  has  turned  over  to  me  a  letter,  under 
date  of  March  21,  1916.  from  Mr.  Leonard  W.  Hatch,  chief 
statistician    of    the    State    Industrial    Commission    of    the    New    York 

Page  one  hundred  forty-one 


Department  of  Labor,  in  which  Mr.  Hatch  says:  "The  manufacture 
of  tobacco  products  in  tenement  houses  is  not  forbidden  by  the  labor 
law,  but  in  order  to  carry  on  such  manufactures  a  license  must  be 
secured.  This  was  true  in  1912,  which  was  the  year  upon  which 
the  Factory  Investigating  Commission  based  its  statement  of  the 
labor  law,  and  has  been  true  ever  since.  I  may  say  that  the  Division 
of  Industrial  Hygiene  of  the  Department  of  Labor  has  had  in  mind 
for  some  time  to  make  an  investigalion  of  this  question,  one  feature 
of  which  would  be  the  prevalence  and  possible  harmful  results  of  the 
finishing  of  cigars  by  licking."  I  could  continue  very  much  further 
along  this  line,  backed  by  sociological  journals,  consumers'  leagues, 
health  boards,  anti-tuberculosis  associations,  governmental  reports  of 
different  States  and  countries,  etc.,  etc. — but  what's  the  use? — for 
your  own  reason  suffices  to  assure  you  that  the  products  of  diseased 
workers  are  capable  of  doing  you  harm,  and  no  doubt  any  Individual 
with  the  least  intelligence  realizes  that  the  "purest  and  most  un- 
adulterated" tobacco  contains  poison  enough  to  damage  both  the 
makers  and  the  users. 

You  will  recall  from  previous  sections  of  my  thesis  the  statistics 
of  Increasing  Insanity  and  mortality  from  degenerative  diseases  through- 
out the  nation.  Epilepsy,  insanity.  Idiocy,  imbecility  and  all  the  col- 
lateral grades  of  mental  infirmities"  are  on  the  Increase.  It  Is  fair 
to  say  that  tobacco  does  not  do  It  all. 


TOBACCO    DOES    INJURY    AT  ALL    AGES 

What  bales  of  tommyrot  have  come  floating  down  the  stream 
of  man-on-the-street  public  opinion  to  the  effect  that  tobacco  Is  bad 
for  "kids" — and  these  people  probably  add  "wimmin — but  O.  K. 
for  us  men!" 

Even  very  good  people  are  found  with  the  same  specious  cry 
on  their  lips,  thinking  It  good  enough  to  use  on  the  young  folks. 
The  wise  youth  of  to-day  won't  take  much  stock  In  the  threadbare 
fake:     "Oh,  you  mustn't  do  that,  but  I  may." 

The  facts  are  that  living  tissue  is  living  tissue  and  that  poison 
is  poison;  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it.  Since  young  people  need  to 
grow,  growth  (that  is,  development)  will  be  retarded  by  poison.  But 
older  people  also  must  keep  developing — even  though  the  development 
is  not  that  of  size;  for  the  body  is  continuously  being  torn  down 
and  built  up  anew;  and  poison  will  harm  adult  life  just  as  surely  as 
adolescent  growth. 

I  cannot  do  better  than  quote  verbatim  from  the  summary**  on 
the  general  influence  of  tobacco,  by  N.  S.  Davis,  A.  M..  M.  D., 
L.L.  D.,  Professor  of  the  Practice  of  Medicine  In  the  Northwestern 

Page  one  hundred  forty -two 


University  Medical   School,   ihan  who,   it   is  generally  considered,   no 
living  medical  authority  is  higher: 

"If  the  narcotizing  effects  of  tobacco  upon  the  cerebrospinal  nerve 
structures  and  the  organized  elements  of  the  blood  are  sufficient  to 
retard  both  mental  and  physical  growth  and  activity  before  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  will  not  the  same  narcotizing  influence  just  as 
certainly  lessen  the  activity  of  the  same  structures  at  any  time  after 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  and  thereby  lessen  the  vital  resistance  to 
morbific  agencies  and  shorten  life? 

*'The  use  of  tobacco  not  only  lessens  the  efficiency  of  respiratory 
movements  and  the  internal  distribution  of  oxygen,  but  exerts  a 
specially  deleterious  influence  on  the  heart,  often  disturbing  the  uni- 
formity of  its  rhythm  and  impairing  its  force,  and  not  infrequently 
causing  sudden  death  by  cardiac  paralysis.  From  the  foregoing 
statements  it  is  evident  that  a  just  consideration  of  dietetics  must 
include  all  ingesta  (materials  taken  into  the  body)  habitually  used, 
whether  solid,  liquid  or  gaseous;  through  the  respiratory  as  well  as 
through  the  digestive  organs.  And  such  ingesta  must  not  only  contain 
a  sufficient  quantity  and  variety  of  materials  to  equal  the  amount  of 
waste  from  day  to  day,  but  they  must  also  be  free  from  such  elements 
as  are  capable  of  impairing  one  or  more  of  the  important  processes 
concerned  in  assimilation,  nutrition  and  secretion. 

"Are  not  the  processes  of  assimilation  and  nutrition,  by  which  all 
the  structures  of  the  body  are  kept  in  repair  to  the  end  of  life, 
identically  the  same  in  childhood  and  ^outh  as  in  old  age,  and 
governed  by  the  same  physiological  laws?  And  if  the  use  of 
anesthetics  and  narcotics,  like  alcohol  and  tobacco,  are  capable  of 
so  far  impairing  those  processes  during  growth,  as  to  render  such 
growth  incomplete,  will  they  not  as  certainly  impair  the  same 
processes  in  both  middle  and  old  age,  and  thereby  make  the  nutrition 
necessary  for  tissue  repair  less  perfect,  and  thereby  encourage  tissue 
degeneration  and  early  failure  of  life?  And  is  not  this  last  ques- 
tion answered  affirmatively  by  the  vital  statistics  of  every  civilized 
country,  as  well  as  corroborated  by  the  results  of  life  insurance,  and 
by  daily  observation  in  all  classes  of  human  society?" 

THE  ENORMOUS  COST  OF  TOBACCO  INDULGENCE 

Of  course,  tobacco  costs  the  users  money. 

Professor  Fink'®  puts  it  this  way:  "One  five-cent  cigar  per  day 
amounts,  with  inJfcrest  on  the  money,  to  about  $250  in  ten  years,  and 
five  such  cigars  daily  for  the  same  time  amount  to  approximately 
$1,200.  Many  men  smoke  from  six  to  ten  such  cigars  daily,  sp>ending 
from  $100  to  $175  per  year."  This  amounts  with  interest,  from 
25   to  65  years  of  age,   to  about  $35,000,  or   from  25   to  80  years 

Page  one  hundred  forty-three 


approximately  $85,000.  *'Many  men,  once  that  habit  has  been  formed, 
will  continue  even  when  their  families  are  dependent  on  charity  for 
food  and  fuel.  A  vastly  large  number  smoke  aiva})  good  homes,  and 
a  still  larger  number  deprive  their  loved  ones  of  good  clothing, 
furniture,  books,  music  and  other  things  that  go  to  make  life 
enjoyable." 

In  considering  the  aggregate  expenditure,  Professors  Bailey  and 
Farnam,  of  Yale,^^  both  reach  the  same  total  estimates,  viz.,  that 
in  1914  the  money  spent  by  the  people  on  smoking,  chewing  and 
snuffing  amounted  to  $1,200,000,000— one  billion,  tivo  hundred  million 
dollars.  That's  more  than  ivas  spent  on  bread.  In  1909  the  value 
of  the  tobacco  products  (at  the  factory)  was  twice  as  great  as  that 
of  distilled  liquors.  A  good  deal  of  talk  is  heard  about  the  money 
spent  on  drink;  yet,  considering  all  kinds  of  intoxicating  beverages,  the 
tobacco  bill  is  three-fourths  of  that  complete  total. 

Education  is  said  to  be  the  key  to  progress.  Our  nation  spends 
three  limes  as  much  on  tobacco  as  on  our  common  school  system. 

The  sum  of  over  a  billion  dollars  a  year  does  not  include  tobacco 
accessories,  such  as  matches,  pipes,  receptacles,  cuspidors,  smoking 
cars  (over  4,000  at  $15,000  each,  totaling  $60,000,000  investment), 
and  so  forth. 

Additional  costs  lo  the  tobacco  users  iKemselves  are  the  loss  of 
time  the  habit  involves  and  the  physical  and  mental  damage  so 
amply  proved. 

The  direct  and  indirect  Injury  lo  the  convenience,  health  and 
general  welfare  of  others,  by  tobacco  users,  even  threatening  the 
vitality  of  the  nation  as  a  whole,  has  already  been  set  forth.  All 
that  is  beyond  measurement;  yet  one  item  of  public  damage  can  be 
estimated  in  dollars  and  cents,  namely,  destruction  of  property  by  fire. 

I  admit  that  the  smoking  of  tobacco  Is  not  necessarily  bound  up 
with  incendiarism.  You  may  smoke  and  never  have  caused  a  fire — 
at  least  you  thinly  so,  not  being  able  to  swear  that  every  bit  of 
burning  tobacco  and  every  match  that  you  ever  had  anything  to  do 
with  was  in  every  case  effectually  extinguished  by  you  before  it  could 
do  some  harm  behind  you  and  after  you.  And  persons  lighting  a 
gas  stove  or  making  a  furnace,  etc.,  etc.,  can  also  be  careless.  But 
facts  are  facts.  The  fact  is  that  smokers  have  been  "caught  with 
the  goods"  in  innumerable  cases,  these  forming  an  inordinately  large 
proportion  of  all  conflagrations.  Also  the  personal  nervous  deteriora- 
tion makes  it  more  certain  that  tobacco  users  are  involuntarily  care- 
less and  thoughtless.  So  we  mast  conclude  that  where  there  is  smoke 
there  may  be  fire.  The  only  way  to  cure  a  smoker's  irresponsible 
state  is  to  cure  the  tobacco  habit. 

Professor  Farnam  has  consulted  reports  of  fire  departments  and 
industrial  committees,^"  finding  as  follows: 

Page  one  hundred  forty-four 


The  Triangle  shirlwaisl-faclory  fire  in  New  York  Clly  in  1911 
was  found  to  have  been  caused  by  a  cigarette. 

The  Equitable  Building  in  New  York  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1912,  the  cause  having  been  the  careless  tossing  of  a  match  into  a 
waste-paper  basket  by  a  patron  of  the  restaurant  in  the  building. 

And  thousands  of  other  cases  could  be  cited. 

Electricity  and  steam  heal  have  been  so  widely  extended  in  recent 
years  that  the  use  of  matches  is  more  than  ever  largely  a  smoker's 
adjimct.  So  in  the  following  table  fires  caused  by  matches  may 
be  assumed  as  including  a  quantity  of  cases  where  smokers  are  to 
blame.  Then  also  the  causes  are  often  not  known;  and  some  of  those 
cases  also  may  be  "credited"  to  the  smokers.  Yet  there  is  still  left 
a  goodly  percentage  of  fires  positively  due  to  smokers*  carelessness,  viz.: 

Percentage  Percentage  Percentage 

due  to  due  to  total 

tobacco  matches  for  both 
New     York     State     (outside 

New  York  City) 5.2  8.8  14.0 

Philadelphia,  Pa 5.0  25.5  30.5 

Boston,   Mass (Not  distinguished)  15.6 

New  Haven,  Conn 7.9  5.6  13.5 

Newark,   N.  J 9.8  20.8  30.6 

New  York  City 12.3  15.7  28.0 

In  the  case  of  New  York  City  the  report  for  1912  goes  into 
great  detail  as  to  causes.  Clear  records  of  fires  caused  by  careless- 
ness rvitk  cigars,  cigarettes  and  pipes,  amounted  in  that  year  to  1,273 
out  of  a  total  of  10,339  fires  with  causes  ascertained — over  5,000 
additional  fires  remaining  without  causes  known. 

Many  States  have  passed  laws  forbidding  smoking  in  factories. 

Forest  fires  are  also  in  part  ascribable  to  smokers.  For  example, 
the  proved  cases  in  Massachusetts  in  1908  were  111  fires,  involving 
loss  of  $33,000.  Many  other  fires  were  never  explained.  In  Con- 
necticut out  of  116  forest  fires  in  1912,  whose  causes  were  ascertained, 
twenty-five  were  due  to  smokers. 

A  careful  report  made  by  the  United  Stales  Geological  Survey 
a  few  years  ago  estimated  the  annual  loss  and  expense  due  to  fires  in 
the  United  Stales  in  the  year  1907,  including  fire  protection  and 
insurance,  as  over  $456,000,000.  If  smokers  cause  but  10  per  cent, 
of  this  they  cost  us  $45,000,000  under  this  item  alone.  If  they  cause 
20  per  cent.,  as  they  obviously  do  in  some  places,  and  as  they  are 
estimated   to  do  by   Commissioner  Johnson,   the   cost  under   this  item 

Page  one  hundred  forty-five 


is  $90,000,000  and  the  figures  have   undoubtedly   increased  since  the 
report  was  made. 

And  beyond  the  money  loss  is  the  sacrifice  of  innocent  lives.  In 
the  Triangle  fire  (which  made  so  horrifying  an  impression  here  in 
New  York),  caused  by  a  cigarette,  one  hundred  and  fifi^  girls  and 
men  were  cho\ed  and  burned  to  death.  The  newspapers  continue  to 
report  fresh  holocausts  on  the  altar  of  the  nicotine  devil.  What 
a  price  to  pay! 

The  portion  of  our  faxes  that  go  to  keep  up  a  fire  department 
and  pay  the  pensions  of  firemen's  widows — that  money,  too,  represents 
the  fire  damage  to  edl  of  us. 

And  as  for  rebuilding,  consider  this:  that  whenever  you  use  up 
any  man's  labor  you  have  consumed  something — and  if  it  was  unneces- 
sary or  might  have  been  avoided,  then  you've  wasted  it.  Surely  the 
lumberman  and  the  carpenter  gel  paid;  but  they  would  have  or  could 
have  sold  iheir  goods  and  services  elsewhere.  What  is  used  in  one 
direction  is  diverted  from  some  other  direction.  The  forces  of  the 
community  keep  adjusting  themselves.  Any  high-school  student  of 
economics,  any  man  who  things,  can  see  that  to  do  a  thing  twice 
means  that  one  of  the  times  was  a  flat  loss. 

Wasted  labor  means  higher  prices  on  all  commodities. 

Professor  Farnam,  who  lectures  on  economics  at  Yale,  takes  this 
situation  for  granted.  Everybody  in  the  community  suffers.  Economic 
waste  makes  ^oar  cost  of  living  go  up. 

WTial  is  true  of  the  waste  of  wealth  and  labor  by  fires  is  equally 
true  of  the  waste  of  labor  and  land  on  the  tobacco  industry.  The 
tobacco  industry  is,  of  course,  maintained  by  the  demand  of  those 
who  use  tobacco. 

In  1912  the  number  of  acres  of  land  devoted  to  tobacco  cultiva- 
tion in  the  United  Stales  was  1,225,800 — over  one-sixth  the  area 
devoted  to  raising  vegetables.  Incidentally,  tobacco  culture  (says 
Professor  Farnam)  lends  to  exhaust  the  soil  and  thus  to  rob  future 
generations,  unless  fertility  is  artificially  maintained  at  great  expense. 

Suppose  that  most  or  all  of  this  land  was  given  over  to  producing 
food.  The  supply  of  grains,  cereals,  potatoes,  cabbages,  etc.,  being 
increased,  the  price  would  go  down,  and  so  would  your  cost  of  living. 

Yet  the  almost  incalculable  waste  continues.     Is  it  worth  while? 

ARE    THERE    ANY    TOBACCO    BENEFITS? 

In  asking  tobacco  users  squarely  whether  the  habit  is  worth  the 
price  that's  paid  in  full — fairness  requires  that  we  follow  our  long 
debit  account  with  a  credit  statement. 

Page  one  hundred  forty-six 


The  idea  of  the  balance  so  specifically  slated  I  owe  to  Professor 
Farnam,  already  quoted.  All  intelligent  persons  will  accept  that 
attitude  as  the  correct  one. 

Well,  then,  let's  see.  ^ 

As  a  preliminary,  it  seems  to  me  that  all  the  foregoing  data 
must  by  now  surely  have  made  clear  that  from  the  phy^sical  standpoint 
any  sophistical  claim  of  the  least  value  for  tobacco  is  a  delusion,  con- 
demned in  clear  and  positive  tones  by  medical  science.  The  following 
citations,  capable  of  being  infinitely  multiplied,  will  suffice: 

"Tobacco  has  no  health-giving  or  health-aiding  action  on  animal 
life."— Dr.  Slocum.*° 

"Tobacco  does  not  aid  digestion.  It  does  not  prevent  lean  people 
from  getting  too  lean,  or  stout  people  from  getting  too  stout.  It  has  no 
power  to  preserve  the  teeth  from  decay  or  to  neutralize  the  poison  of 
contagion.  It  is  not  a  disinfectant.  It  is  not  a  remedy  for  asthma  or 
any  other  diseased  condition.  And  indeed,  it  may  be  safe  to  say 
that  it  does  not  do  any  one  of  the  hundred  and  one  harmlessly  bene- 
ficent things  it  is  popularly  supposed  to  do,  n>/ii7e  rue  positively  J^non) 
that  it  does  at  times  produce  outright,  serious  disturbances  of  the 
heart,  nervous  system  and  mucous  membranes,  while  its  use  on  the 
part  of  the  patient  also  limits  and  diminishes  possibilities  of  recovery 
in  other  diseases." — Dx.  Matthew  Woods.^^ 

"The  idea  that  tobacco  prevents  disease  is  an  error.  A  tobacco 
user's  chances  of  recovery  from  malignant  disease  are  lessened  fifty 
per  cent." — Dx,  O.  M.  Stone.^ 

"It  IS  scarcely  possible  to  cure  a  syphilitic  sore,  or  to  unite  a 
fractured  bone,  in  a  devoted  smoker." — Dr.  T.  J.  Harris,  of  the  New 
York  Gty  Dispensary.^ 

"During  the  prevalence  of  cholera  I  have  had  repeated  oppor- 
tunities of  observing  that  individuals  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco 
are  more  disposed  to  attacks  of  that  disease,  and  generally  in  its  most 
malignant  and  fatal  form." — Dr.  John  Lizars.^^ 

"Tobacco  users  do  not  stand  surgical  operations  well;  these  persons 
are  liable  to  collapse." — Dr.  Bangs." 

One  clear  item  in  tobacco's  favor  (I  can't  help  it  if  you  call 
this  sarcasm)  is  the  tax  that's  paid  on  tobacco:  internal  revenue  and 
customs  duty.  In  recent  years  the  annual  sum  has  averaged  about 
$100,000,000  in  the  United  States.  That  goes  to  the  government, 
leaving  a  waste,  as  already  explained,  of  the  remaining  billion  dollars 
and  more  which  are  spent  on  tobacco. 

Are  there  any  other  possible  credit  items? 

Well,  it  may  be  said  that  we  should  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but 
rather    seek    pleasant    sensations.      Many    would    call    such    a    remark 

Page  one  hundred  forty-seven 


blasphemous.  I  shall  not  argue  the  question.  I  believe,  as  most  of 
us  do,  in  the  presence  of  a  spiritual  element  in  life.  Yet  there  is 
nothing  to  gain  at  this  point  by  quarreling  with  the  most  material 
person,  or  with  the  every-day  practical  mood  of  possibly  the  majority, 
maintaining  that  "no  trick  should  be  missed"  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure. 

Life  has  its  hard  side;  and,  of  course,  every  enjoyment  Is  wel- 
come— if  it's  a  sensible  and  harmless  form  of  enjoyment. 

You  wouldn't  set  fire  to  a  whole  city  In  order  to  be  able  to 
watch  the  pietty  flames,  would  you? 

It  has  been  said  that  drowning  Is  a  pleasant  death;  yet  you 
wouldn't — unless  you  went  out  of  your  head — drown  yourself,  would 
you?  No  doubt  lunatics  don't  have  any  business  worries,  and  even 
more  certain  it  may  be  that  paralytics  never  feel  either  pain  or 
fatigue  in  the  paralyzed  members,  that  the  blind  never  strain  their 
eyes,  etc.,  etc.;  but  would  you  knowingly  court  blindness,  paralysis 
or  dementia? 

What  kind  of  peculiar  pleasure  Is  It  that  can  fool  people  so  they 
don't  see  that  it's  slowly  killing  them?  Fool,  deceive — those  are 
the  correct  words,  for  that's  the  method  of  narcotics. 

The  nervous  system  of  human  beings  Is  the  Intelligent  governmenl 
of  the  body  mechanism.  When  you  don't  feel  "right" — whether  it 
be  a  specific  pain  or  general  weakness,  or  worry,  or  tiredness — that 
feeling  is  the  faithful  report  of  the  nervous  system  that  something  is 
wrong  and  the  call  to  you  to  remedy  that  trouble. 

What  used  you  do  in  the  days  of  your  tobacco  slavery?  You 
consumed  enough  tobacco  to  hush  up  the  reliable  reporter,  to  drown 
his  voice,  to  destroy  him  (the  nerve  center)  altogether;  and  then,  of 
course,  for  a  while  you  felt  all  right — but  the  trouble  had  not  been 
remedied,  it  had  been  made  worse,  as  a  result  of  which  you  craved 
more  of  the  sedative  than  before,  the  trouble  in  your  system  became 
still  more  aggravated — and  so  on  ad  infinitum. 

The  proper  remedy  might  have  been:  fresh  air,  proper  diet,  rest, 
outdoor  sport — anything  and  everything  that  is  naturally  wholesome 
and  enjoyable. 

Nor  should  you  allow  yourself  to  be  caught  by  anybody's  pointing 
to  some  famous  man  as  a  user  of  tobacco.  What  would  it  prove? 
If  President  Grant  was  a  smoker,  even  forgetting  that  he  died  of 
cancer;  well,  Lincoln  never  touched  tobacco  and  neither  does  Roose- 
velt. If  Barrie  smokes;  well,  Balzac  never  did.  And  the  unsurpassed 
Greek  thinkers  and  artists — Socrates,  Plato,  Aristotle,  Aeschylus, 
Praxiteles — never  heard  of  tobacco.  Whoever  accomplishes  much, 
and  uses  tobacco,  probably  does  his  work  in  spite  of  tobacco   (even 

Page  one  hundred  forty-eight 


though  he  may  not  have  studied  the  subject  sufficiently  to  realize  It) 
and  would  certainly  do  even  belter  Ji!or}(  without  it. 

Tobacco  has  been  proved  a  mocl^er,  a  tailor,  a  la^er  of  snares. 
** Watch  your  step  I" 

Did  you  ever  experience  a  primary  need  for  tohacco — that  is,  at 
the  beginning?  No,  siree!  In  fact,  it  even  hurt  to  start  using  tobacco 
V — until  the  system  was  deadened  to  it.  The  habit  took  its  inceplion 
in  an  act  of  puerile  imitation.  Now  it's  up  to  you  not  to  lead  some 
other  youngster  into  tobaccoism  by  your  example.  There's  another 
reason  for  you  to  rejoice,  that  as  far  as  tobacco  is  concerned,  you're 
through. 

If  you  once  used  tobacco,  and  you  have  a  recollection  of  your 
having  liked  it,  now  that  you  know  the  fallacy  of  Its  having  been 
liked  because  it  was  squelching  your  means  of  being  alive  to  your 
environment,  you  also  perceive  the  truth  that  to  be  possessed  of  i;our 
full  consciousness  is  a  far  greater  pleasure  in  itself,  and  throws 
open  to  you  the  portals  of  the  many  and  varied  particular  delights 
that  really  maJ^e  life   worth  living. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Referred  to  in  this  Appendix 

^Habits  That  Handicap.  By  Charles  B.  Towns.  Century  Com- 
pany. N.  Y..  1915. 

^Therapeutics,    Materia   Medica   and   Pharmacy,    including    Antidotal 

and   Antagonistic   Treatment   of   Poisoning.      By   Samuel    O.    L. 

Potter,  A.   M..    M.  D.,   M.  R.  C.  P.,  etc.,  Philadelphia,    1913. 

Twelfth  edition. 
^Webster  s  Revised   Unabridged  Dictionary.     By  Porter,  Springfield, 

Mass.,  1913.    Merriam. 

*Commerclal  Organic  Analysis.  Allen's,  Vol.  VI,  Philadelphia,  1912. 
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ung,"  1904.  Schmidt;  "Inaug.  Dissert,  Universitat  Wiirzberg," 
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1907.  DeVisme;  "Compt.  rend.  Soc.  Biol.,"  1907.  Fleig  in 
same,  1908.  Ratner;  "Pfluger's  Archlv.,"  1906.  Esser;  "Arch. 
f.  Exp,  Pathol.,"  1903.  Kose;  "Sbornlk  Kllnlcky,"  1905.  Baer; 
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Grassman;  "Miinchener  med.  Wochenschr.,"  1907.  Zebrowski; 
"Zentralbl.  f.  allg.  Pathol,  u.  Path.  Anat.,"  1907.  Boveri; 
"Gazz.  d.  Ospedali,"  1906.  Huchard;  "Tralte  des  Maladies  du 
Coeur,"  1889,  Paris.  Favarger;  "Wiener  med.  Wochenschr.," 
1887.  Erb;  "Deutsch.  Zeitschr.  f.  Nervenheil.,"  1898,  and 
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Vortrage,"   1906.     Simon;  "Die  Therapie  d.  Gegenwart,"  1907. 

^^TohaccOy  a  Symposium  of  Representative  MeJical  Opinion.  By 
Winfield  S.  Hall,  M.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  of  Physiology  in  the 
Northwestern  University  Medical  School,  etc.,  etc.  Chicago,  1900. 

'^What  the  Smoker  May  Pay  for  His  Indulgence.  Records  of  Dr. 
L.  von  Frankel-Hochwart,  University  Lecturer  on  Neuropathology 
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^'^Psychological  Clinic,  vol.  IV,  pari  I,  p.  54. 

^^The  Effects  of  SmoJ^ing  on  College  Students.  By  Dr.  George  L. 
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^'Clark  College  Record,  July,  1909. 

^'Popular  Science  Monthly,  1912,  vol.  81,  p.  336. 

^^Tobacco.  By  Bruce  Fink,  Professor  of  Botany  in  Miami  University, 
Oxford,  Ohio.     Abingdon  Press,  N.  Y.,  1915. 

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'"'Drugs   and    ihe    Drug   Habit.      By    Harrington   Sainsbury,    M.   D., 

F.  R.  C.  P.,  Consulting  Physician  to  Cily  of  London  Hospital, 

Senior  Physician  to  Royal  Free  Hospital,  etc.     E.  P.  Dutton  & 

Co.,  N.  Y.,   1909. 
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M.  D.,  Instructor  in  Physiology,  University  of  Vermont.     "New 

York  Medical  Journal,"  March  14,  1914. 
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"W.  Farnam,   Professor  of  Economics,  Yale  University.     Henry 

Holt  &  Co.,  N.  Y.,  1914. 
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M.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Member  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion.   Toledo,  O.,  1909. 
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Philadelphia,   1896. 
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January    15.    1913.      Vol.    II,    Albany,    N.    Y.      Dr.    Geo.    M. 

Price,  Bible  House,  New  York  City,  Director  of   Investigation. 

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*^Annual  Report  of  President  George  W.  Perkins,  in  "Cigarmakers' 

Official  Journal,"  September,  1912. 

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Hutchcroft,  Statistician  of  State  Bureau  of  Vital  Statistics, 
in  vol.  XXXVI,  1911,  of  "Journal  of  American  Public  Health 
Association," 

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*^lnfeclion  from  ihe  Hands  in  Phthisis.  By  Dr.  E.  R.  Baldwin,  of 
Saranac  Lake,  N.  Y.  "Philadelphia  Medical  Journal,"  Decem- 
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"The  International  Review  of  Tuberculosis,"  Paris,  September, 
1907.     Vol.  XII,  No.  3. 

'^Scrap  Tobacco  as  a  Menace  to  Public  Health.  By  Dr.  D.  D. 
Stevens,  of  New  York,  Attending  Physician  to  Metropolitan 
and  Hahnemann  Hospitals,  Member  of  American  Institute, 
United  States  Pension  Surgeon,  in  "The  Medico-Legal  Journal," 
March,   1906.     Vol.  XXIII,  No.  4. 

Page  one  hundred  fifty-two 


Special    Announcement 

In  the  interest  of  the  public  welfare,  I  iseek 
additional  information  showing  chiefly  the  injury 
done  by  the  use  of  tobacco  and  the  benefit  derived 
through  the  avoidance  of  it;  also  evidence  to  the 
contrary,  if  anybody  has  it. 

This  information  must  necessarily  be  specific. 
Medical  men  will  please,  as  is  the  usual  custom, 
identify  cases  of  theirs  by  initials,  age,  occupation, 
etc. ;  individuals  speaking  for  themselves  will  kindly 
give  their  names  with  full  addresses,  not  neces- 
sarily for  publication,  but  as  a  guarantee  of  good 
faith. 

In  cases  where  reports  of  benefit  follow  the 
discontinuance  of  tobacco  using,  it  is  immaterial 
whether  the  Mac  Levy  System  has  been  employed 
— or  any  other  method  that  led  to  the  quitting  of 
the  habit. 

The  main  thing  is  that  I  want  the  facts — as  many 
as  I  can  obtain — for  legislative,  educational  and 
other  purposes  that  are  for  the  general  good. 

I  would  also  like  the  names  and  addresses  of 
persons  who  are  ready,  without  any  expense  to 
themselves,  to  do  their  modest  share — at  the  proper 
time — ^in  communicating  with  public  officials, 
bureaus,  etc.,  in  furtherance  of  the  cause. 

All  communications  should  be  addressed:  Mr. 
Max  Mac  Levy,  care  of  Albro  Society,  Inc.,j  IST 
Lexington  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Page  one  hundred  fiffy-three 


MEMORANDA 

Tou  will  find  it  worth  while  to  keep  a  diary  temporarily, 
from  the  day  that  you  start  conquering  the  tobacco  addiction 
until  a  time,  say,  one  year  afterward. 

There  will  be  an  immediate  benefit — chiefiy  psychological — 
and  It  is  likely  that  the  advantage  will  prove  valuable  in  the 
future  when  you  wish  to  convince  some  nicotinized  individual 
that  the  better  way  to  live  is  without  the  baneful  influence  of 
the  nicotine  poison. 

At  the  outset  describe  yourself  and  your  condition  frankly. 
Mention  when  and  how  you  first  learned  to  use  tobacco,  also 
what  average  quantity  you  are  consuming  now.  Tell  of  your 
physical  and  mental  condition.  From  what  ailments  do  you 
suffer?  Are  you  inclined  to  nervousness,  sleeplessness,  des- 
pondency, irritability,  defective  memory,  excitability,  lack  of 
ambition,  worry,  fear,  doubt,  lack  of  self-confidence — and  so  on? 
Tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  and 
if  you  do  not  feel  disposed  to  entrust  your  pencilings  to  the 
pages  here  allotted — use  a  more  private  diary. 

Having  set  down  the  particulars  at  the  outset,  make  it 
your  rule  to  mention  the  changes  that  you  notice  in  yourself 
from  day  to  day.  These  will  not  be  very  conspicuous  at  first, 
but  they  will  gradually  become  very  manifest.  By  the  end  of 
the  first  two  weeks — while  you  are  still  using  tobacco — you 
should  be  able  to  record  some  benefit.  After  the  two  weeks' 
preliminary  period,  when  you  have  ceased  entirely  to  use 
tobacco,  3^ou  will  be  able  to  make  happy  notations  frequently. 
A  few  months,  or  say  a  year,  after  tobacco  has  been  eliminated 
from  your  life  you  should  be  able  to  write  some  lines  which, 
when  contrasted  with  what  you  set  down  to-day,  will  be  an 
amazingly  convincing  human  document. 

This  paper  is  unsuited  for  ink,  b^it  it  will  take  and  effect- 
ively hold  your  pencil  Jottings  for  the  many  years  to  come. 

MAC  LEVY. 


Page  one  hundred  fifty-four 


MEMORANDA 


Page  one  hundred  fifty-five 


MEMORANDA 


Page  one  hundred  fifty-six 


MEMORANDA 


Page  one  hundred  fifty-seven 


ADVERTISEMENT 


Tobacco  Habit  Easily   Conquered 

HOW   TO    DO    IT    AGREE- 
ABLY AND  WITHOUT  DRUGS 

By  Max  Mac  Levy 


ON   SALE   BY   BOOKSELLERS 

Or  may  he  ordered  by  mail  direct  from  the  publishers; 
address  belozv. 

Price  in  U.  S.  A.,  $1.25  net.  Postage  7  cents  extra. 

Price  in  Canada,  duty,  postage  and  other  charges 
prepaid  hj  publishers,  $1.50. 

Other  countries. — Copies  will  be  forwarded  to 
other  countries  by  insured  parcel  or  book  post, 
charges  prepaid,  at  $1.40  each,  or  two  for  $2,70  in 
U.  S.  A.  currency. 

Remittances  should  be  by  money-order,  cash  in 
registered  letter,  or  bank  draft.  U.  S.  postage  stamps 
are  also  acceptable,  the  same  as  money.  We  will 
send  by  parcel  post,  collect  on  delivery,  to  any  part 
of  the  United  States,  upon  request. 

ALBRO  SOCIETY,  Inc. 
181    Lexington   Avenue     -    -     -     New   York   City 


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